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A new air drill is a big investment, whatever size your operation. Here are a few things to consider when making a decision about what openers will work best with your new unit.

1. Soil Type. Rocky soil? Choose a high wear vertical opener that will be able to withstand rough terrain. Wet conditions or gumbo? Consider our line of Universal Series gumbo style closed bottom tips that are designed to prevent plugging. Dry soils? Dry soils accommodate almost any opener type so you can be more versatile with your opener choice.

2. Fertilizer Type. Look for an opener that is compatible with the type or types of fertilizer you use on your farm, or if you like the versatility of having multiple fertilizer application methods lean towards a Universal style opener. Universal will give you the option to switch between liquid and granular. If you’d like to apply NH3, our Precision or Precision Edge Series Openers will seal your NH3 application directly into the furrow saving you inputs. For advice on what is the ideal separation for seed and fertilizer based on your conditions be sure to speak to your agronomist. Some soils are more prone to seed bed fracturing and will require a larger vertical or horizontal separation for a safe fertilizer application. We have a variety of vertical and horizontal separations available to accommodate all your needs.

3. Seed Bed Utilization. Decide on how much of your seed bed you want to utilize. If you have a need to conserve moisture keep your focus on a sideband tip. If moisture isn’t an issue and you’d like more seed bed utilization, go ahead and give a paired row tip a try. Just make sure when deciding on your tip width that your packer wheel is at least as wide as the opener tip, this will help you avoid issues with trenching and will properly seal your seed in the furrow.

To learn more about the best openers for your conditions, contact our seeding experts at Dutch 1-800-66-DUTCH.