Titan™ with Shark Tooth® wheel
in heavy corn residue
 

As a result, your planter will run more smoothly; you will have more control and be able to place seed with more preciseness; your seed rows will warm more quickly; and the coulter-worked soil will have a perfect moist consistency for better emergence and enhanced yields.

Residue Management – Protecting Crops, Improving Soil Consistency
As you know, leaving residue on your fields improves soil moisture, water permeation, aeration, and soil tilth. Making fewer passes saves time and cuts costs on labor, fuel, and equipment.

Conventional tillage practices often leave valuable topsoil vulnerable to wind or water erosion, but through proper residue management techniques, these soils can be better protected. Moving the residue warms the soil and reduces the toxic effect that some residue can have on germination and growth. Crop residue between the rows becomes the protective cover, trapping vital moisture needed in drier times and preventing the soil from crusting in heavy rains. Plus, the decaying root systems can improve water infiltration and aeration thereby improving soil tilth.

Coulter Tillage – Saving Time, Maximizing Growth

Tilling a narrow strip just before or while planting offers many proven benefits resulting in an energized seedbed. The practice of adding a coulter ahead of seeding equipment is becoming more popular as growers seek cost-saving techniques that increase yield.

Titan™ with Standard wheel in soybean stubble
 

In coulter tillage, you prepare the soil at the same time you plant, so you make fewer passes, use less fuel, save valuable time, and prepare an energized seedbed for maximum plant growth. You get less sidewall compaction, loosen the soil in which the seed is set, and close the trench securely. Even in less than ideal conditions, you create a moist, aerated seedbed for a great start on the season.

Coulter/Residue Manager Combinations

Cut-n-move™ Coulter combination
 

There are now many coulter/residue manager combination planter attachments available, so that you can prepare and plant your seedbed with maximum effectiveness and efficiency. For example, Yetter Manufacturing Company offers its classic 2960/2967 Combination Coulter/Residue Manager, and the more recent innovation, the Cut-n-Move™.

Stan and Don Grigg of Toulon, Illinois, use Yetter coulter/residue manager combinations on their planters. According to Stan, “The combo works great in all conditions. It's so easy to go from lock down to float mode, and I love being able to disengage and raise up the Titans™ when they are not needed.”

With such combinations, you can complete one-pass residue clearance, soil preparation, and planting. Most models allow you to choose from a wide variety of coulter blades to meet your specific needs.