To participate in EQIP, Ben Taylor had to make variable-rate fertilizer applications on his fields. After receiving a quote from the local elevator, he thought he could do it himself for considerably less. He bought a preowned spreader online for $1,000 and devised his own way to vary application rates.
After installing a linear actuator (a $100 eBay purchase) to adjust the gate by remote control, Taylor assembled a power source and a sight gauge and started doing his own spreading. He performs grid soil sampling, and a local company, Agronomic Solutions, creates his maps.
“I study the maps the night before I spread. I look at the rate required and fertilizer weights, and I figure out which areas need it open 1½ inches or 3 inches, for example,” he says.
A land surveyor, Taylor is only in his third year of farming. Another thing he’s done is color-code the ropes on his spreader red and green. “No more guessing which rope to pull at the end row,” he says.
Sight Guage: A piece of plastic marked with inch and half-inch marks is visible from the cab and shows how far the gate is open.
Motorcycle Battery: An ammo can welded to the back of the spreader houses the battery that powers the actuator.
Adjust the Opening: A mounted electric linear actuator opens and closes the gate on the spreader by remote control in the cab, depending on application needs.
Hoosier: Taylor farms in LaGrange, Indiana. He and wife Amber have a 4-year-old son, Rhett. He grows corn and soybeans, and his dad, Rod, raises freezer beef.
Profession: Taylor and Amber have a small business, Taylor Land Surveying. His mother, Loralee, an engineer and surveyor, works with them.
Hobby: Amber raises German Shepherds and trains them in tracking, obedience, and agility. “That’s what she does while I’m busy fixing whatever I broke the week before,” he jokes.
Now an Irrigator: They recently put up two irrigation units.
Email: [email protected]
We build all cages and trays on-site. We only use the highest quality wire mesh on the market. The gear on our farm has been in the water for more than six years and we have yet to replace a single tray due to corrosion or everyday wear and tear. Click on the link below to see our most popular cage and tray sizes. We can also custom-build cages and trays to your specifications. Pre-cut wire kits are also available.
We offer a choice of locally manufactured case-hardened die-rings made from alloy steel. ADVANTAGES ADVANTAGESCheaper purchase costMore readily availableMore flexible in designEuropean gun-drilled stainless-steel die-ringsIn addition to the locally manufactured die rings, we offer a range of gun-drilled stainless-steel die-rings, which we import from various Eur
Think about your soil for a minute—just one gram of soil (about the contents of a sugar packet), contains up to four billion bacteria, one million fungi, and 300,000 algae. In other words, the soil is literally alive, but most often neglected or ignored. And think about this—if you multiply these figures by the 2.2 million pounds of soil per acre in the root zone, you’ll see that you have an unbelievable amount of potential just waiting to be harnessed to help maxim
Spreads fertilizer, salt, sand and seed. Front or 3 Point Hitch mount. Hydraulic or PTO driven. This fertilizer spreader is available from 100L to 500L capacity. More about Fertilizer Spreaders