For US farmers needing to plant a lot of corn and plant it fast, Rick Light has what they need -- monstrous machines that can sow 300 acres (120 hectares) in a day. The machines, costing $100,000 or more, are attracting attention this year because planting corn in a hurry is on nearly every farmer's mind.
A wet, cold spring has slowed the start of field work and with corn prices hitting 10-year highs in February, farmers intend to plant the most acres since World War Two. The boom is linked to growing demand for ethanol fuel, an alternative to oil that can be made from corn.
"We've probably had the best year we've had for planters. I think that is directly related to commodity prices," said Light, who manages the Hogan Walker implement dealership in Watseka.
While there is an urgency to plant corn this year due to high prices and weather issues, farmers are also looking at machines that are bigger and more powerful than in recent years, and that require less maintenance. Some of the new planters can run nearly all day without the need to refill the seed bin.
Changes in the US farm economy -- with many farmers retiring or leaving the business, and small farms being merged or acquired -- have resulted in fewer, and larger, farms. That has translated into bigger equipment because farmers have more ground to cover.
US machinery maker Agco Corp whose brands include White, said planter sales have been robust. "Year to date we are up 30 percent on planter sales," said Gary Hamilton, marketing specialist for White.
At Hogan Walker sits a model 1790 seed planter made by Deere & Co that can plant 24 rows of corn in a single pass, and can keep doing that all day long. If that is not enough, a DB-90 model is available that can plant 36 rows per pass.
"These guys have huge machines, they can plant it in record time," said Light. For urbanites unfamiliar with farm dimensions, 36 rows is about 90 feet (27.3 meters), nearly one-third of a football field, or more than double the width of planters commonly used 10 years ago. Kirk Knauth, who farms just south of Watseka and has a new 24-row planter, tended to his cattle last week because it was too wet to plant his 2,500 acres with corn.
"We are not concerned yet," Knauth said on Sunday, pointing out that with his equipment the fields can be planted in eight to 10 days. "If it gets to the fifth of May, then we will get a little concerned." Corn is planted in April through early May to ensure the crop will be developed enough to withstand July's scorching heat and to be ready for harvest in the fall.
Corn prices are the highest in years due to strong demand to make the biofuel ethanol, and to feed livestock. While this year's high corn prices have not yet put money in farmers' pockets, the thought of their eventual payday has many of them either shopping or buying new equipment, local dealers said.
In March, Agco's chief executive, Martin Richenhagen, said an improved outlook for implement sales in North America may have the company review its 2007 forecast for sales.
"This year (farmers) are going to have a very good business and we find (that when that happens) they often invest in equipment," Richenhagen said. Corn prices topped $4.00 per bushel earlier this year, the highest in 10 years. While prices have since slipped they remain high, compared with about $2 in early 2005, amid worries the cold, wet weather may prevent all of the crop from being planted on time.
"For 20 years, farmers had been living on the edge. Now, with the soaring prices, there is a new attitude. It's not like it's easy street, but it's a lot less stressful," said Steve McCullough, owner of McCullough Implement Company, also in Watseka. Last month, the US Agriculture Department estimated farmers will plant 90.5 million acres of corn this year, the most since 1944 when 95.5 million were planted.
"Expected acreage is up in nearly all states as high corn prices are encouraging farmers to plant more," USDA said. To place the corn in the ground in time, many farmers also will rely on GPS gadgetry to guide their big tractors and planters around the fields.
"We can plant at night now because we have GPS systems that steer the tractors," said Bill Biederman, analyst at the agriculture advisory firm Allendale Inc Agriculture GPS units, or global positioning systems, are similar to those found in airplanes and luxury cars and can cost from $10,000 to $20,000.