"I looked around for years for something like these fertilizer openers so that I could apply fertilizer without wrecking the seed trench," said Rob Goblirsch. After he put Yetter Farm Equipment's 2968 Row-Unit Mount In-Between Fertilizer Openers on his 1770 John Deere 16-row planter, he knew he had found what he was looking for.

Rob uses the fertilizer openers while applying nitrogen, as well as other fertilizers, to his 600 acres of corn. "These give me more flexibility to put down what I need without worrying about the mud or wrecking the furrow," Rob said. "I apply fertilizer two inches off the row, and it works great. I also like that it is a compact system."

William and Robb Hinton stand behind their investment in the Yetter 3600 toolbar. The Hintons are a father-and-son team farming in Virginia's Northern Neck. This location is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and is very sensitive to environmental pollutants. "We feel very strongly about protecting this natural resource and use continuous no-till in our farming operation to help control runoff," said Robb. "The concept of injecting our nitrogen makes sense to us. It is not only environmentally responsible, but also profitable."

The Hintons are using no-till to build soil structure. This, in turn, adds organic matter and the possibility that they may be able to reduce their fertilizer requirements. Because of the build-up of residue that comes with no-till, the Hintons needed a better way to get the nitrogen they use to side-dress their corn directly to the root zone instead of on top of the ground, where it can be tied up in residue, evaporate in the heat, or run off with a heavy rain.

They turned to Yetter Farm Equipment for a solution. "The Yetter 3600 Fertilizer Toolbar meets all of our needs. We have been using it for two years and have seen a six bushel-per-acre increase in our yields, and we are working with our local extension office to statistically prove our results over different growing conditions," said Robb.

"This is a well-built piece of equipment that hooks up easily, transports safely, and has performed flawlessly in our side-dress operation," Robb added.

The Hintons were able to attach the 3600 toolbar to their 4730 John Deere sprayer with Swath Pro—they work perfectly together to reduce overlap and costs. Robb adds that the quick hitch is a must to attach the toolbar to the sprayer.

After he saw a Yetter Farm Equipment magazine ad, Sixtus Laskowski ordered one Yetter 2968 Row-Unit Mount In-Between Fertilizer Opener for his thousand-acre farm near Stockdale, Texas. He mounted it on his 7300 John Deere planter, tested it, and immediately ordered seven more.

He used the opener for his spring planting of corn, grain sorghum, and cotton. Sixtus says the fertilizer openers work well across his range of soils, from black loam to pure sand. He describes his tillage method as "minimum conventional tillage."

He places the fertilizer two inches below and two inches to the side of his cotton rows. "It’s far enough away so that it doesn’t affect germination, but available when the cotton starts setting roots," he said.

To protect the equipment from corrosion after exposure to fertilizer, he flushes it thoroughly with water and applies a coat of oil.

When the need arises for a particular tool, Allan Brooks likes to know he has it available in his toolbox. That's the way he feels about his Yetter 2910 Heavy-Duty Coulters. The coulters, mounted on a 16-foot toolbar, are ready for use when needed. He knows he can rely on the heavy-duty coulters when he needs to cut through especially tough residue.

"We needed a tool to target aggressive residue situations," Allan said. "We're using no-till techniques, so we want to retain the residue, and yet we still had the need to attack and size it.

"We knew from our past experience operating Yetter coulters for years that we wanted to go with another Yetter coulter for these situations."

Allan has about 2,000 acres on which he raises sweet corn, snap beans, soybeans, processing peas, and barley as a cover crop. Some of the vegetables are double crops, so Allan works roughly 2,300 to 2,400 acres each year.

Allan's workhorses are Yetter 2995 Series coulters mounted on his John Deere planter, which he uses while applying liquid fertilizer. His especially likes the springs on the Yetter coulters, which can help transfer the weight of the toolbar to the coulter.

"This will be the sixth year with that particular machine," Allan said. "We had a previous planter with Yetter coulters that we traded in. When we bought our new machine, we knew we wanted to go with Yetter coulters again."

"We concluded that for our no-till operation, we needed to get fertilizer deeper into the ground. Because the Yetter injection system places the fertilizer in the ground, we don't lose nitrogen through nitrification or because it sits on the top of the residue. They've provided a big cost benefit because they've lowered our nitrogen needs per bushel. Yetter coulters are also are a pretty fuel-efficient option.

"I like Yetter products because they are well-researched and the designs advance with the times. Yetter sales reps are great—always willing to help me execute new ideas."

When Lynn Lisius switched from a knife system to the Yetter Magnum Opener for anhydrous application, he saw immediate improvements. "It sealed very well, even though it had been a dry year," he said.

He also noticed that the Magnum pulled more easily. "It required less horsepower, and I could travel faster."

Lynn selected the Yetter Magnum after a neighbor who had purchased one the previous year recommended it. He plans to use it again in the spring for pre-plant anhydrous application. 

Paul Hamann has found that it pays to be creative when planting strip-till corn-on-corn. By constructing his own strip-till bar and fertilizer cart with his son and brother, he estimates he saved several thousand dollars.

By redesigning and shortening a used ridge-till cultivator bar, Paul was able to reduce the tool in weight and length for use on his small farm. He outfitted the bar with Yetter 2984 Maverick™ HR Plus^® units, and then mounted the bar on a caddy he found in Nebraska. To complete the setup, he obtained a 12,000-pound Montag fertilizer cart, built a frame, and attached that to the caddy as well.

"We were worried that we would have to make modifications, but 1,000 acres later, it’s proven it actually works," said Paul.

Like many in southeastern Minnesota, Paul’s cattle graze in his corn stalks in the fall, so he does spring strip-tilling. The Mavericks help him get the job done in time. He also used the tool on soybeans, and even in his neighbors’ alfalfa field, building a berm and putting down fertilizer.  

"It’s a very good tool, and strip-till is a real asset in dry years," said Paul. "Residue and placement of the fertilizer is extremely crucial. We deposit fertilizer in the berm below the root zone, which enhances the roots and provides stimulus for the roots to go down to find the fertilizer and moisture. I’ve been able to see the difference between strip-tilled and non-strip-tilled fields."

Rich Maurer uses Yetter 2962 Unit-Mounted Double Disc Fertilizer Openers to apply liquid fertilizer when he plants 2,700 acres of corn and sugar beets in Michigan. Rich’s 24 Double Disc Openers are row-unit mounted, and he plants his beets in 30-inch rows.

"We’d talked to other farmers, and we knew a single-disc opener was not the best options for applying fertilizer—it would limit our depth. The double disc is better for trashy conditions," said Rich. "It cuts right through our wheat and corn residue, and I get the fertilizer two inches to the side and two inches below the seed."

Rich has used the units for two years and found them to be durable, showing only normal wear. "I have been very happy with the Double Discs."

Difficult wheat residue was the reason Robert Schaefer decided to try the 2967-039 Residue Manager for Fertilizer Toolbars on his planter and strip-till unit. After three or four years of use, Robert is very happy with the setup. "It just moves trash out of the way for the planter to come through," he said.

Though the tools work especially well in wheat stubble, Robert said they also work in corn and bean residue.

Interseeding cover crops and side-dressing UAN with the Yetter 10,000 Magnum. Working great!