Precision Agriculture

Precision Agriculture

Economic return of John Deer 455 Box Drill vs. John Deer 1890 No-Till Air

Seeder

Thomas Entz

Economic Return of a Box Drill Vs. No-Till Air Seeder

Goals

• To find the selling prices of each drill.

• Determining positive and negative affects of each drill.

• Finding the amount of total input the air seeder will save when planting winter wheat.

• The amount of time it will take the savings from the air seeder to cover the cost difference between the box drill.

John Deere 455 Drill

Selling Price of John Deere 455 Drill 35 Ft.

John Deere 1890 No-Till Drill

Selling Price of John Deere 1890 No-Till Air Drill 36 Ft.

Seed Planting Depth Box Drill vs. Air Seeder

• When crossing terraces with a box drill the opener and press wheel location causes seed to be placed too shallow on the back side and too deep on the front, causing skips. This occurs because the press wheel is located 15 inches behind the openers.

• When crossing terraces with a no-till air drill the press wheel is 4 inches behind the openers. This allows the seed to be placed at a constant depth over terraces.

455 Opener & Press Wheel

1890 Air Seeder Opener & Press Wheel

Planting Methods with a Box Drill

• The 15 inch distance between the openers and press wheels cause farmers to either plant following the direction of the terraces or planting over the terraces and replanting the spot initially missed by drill floatation.

• Contour planting involves individually planting each terrace. This increases the number of turns and also occasionally involves double planting the center pass.

Planting Methods with an Air Drill

• The 4 inch distance between the openers and press wheel allows the air drill to cross terraces and plant in a straight line. This decreases turning time and the amount of seed used.

• Planting in straight lines is 30% faster than contour planting. This decreases multiple input costs: fuel, labor, repairs, maintenance, and seed.

Model Farm Size & Input Costs

3,000 Acres of Winter Wheat Repair & maintenance cost

Fuel & lube cost

Labor cost

Seed cost

Repair & Maintenance Cost

John Deere 455 Box Drill

Acres per hour = 0.1212*6mph*35ft*0.70 = 17.82 APH

Hours of operation = 3,000 acres / 17.82 APH = 168.38 hours

Repair & maintenance = 0.32 * $54,147 * [(168.38hr/1000)^2.1] = $410

John Deere 1890 No-Till Air Seeder

Acres per hour = (17.82 * 0.30) + 17.82 = 23 APH

Hours of operation = 3,000 acres / 23 APH = 130.42 hours

Repair & maintenance = 0.32 * $99,592 * [(130.42hr/1000)^2.1] = $442

Fuel & Lube Cost

John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 455 Drill

Acres per hour = 0.1212*6mph*35ft*0.70 = 17.82 APH

Hours of operation = 3,000 acres / 17.82 APH = 168.38 hours

Fuel cost = 0.35gal/acre * 3,000acres * $3.60/gal = $3,780

Lube Cost = $3780 * 0.10 = $378

John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 1890 No-Till Air Seeder

Acres per hour = (17.82 * 0.30) + 17.82 = 23 APH

Hours of operation = 3,000 acres / 23 APH = 130.42 hours

Fuel cost = 0.40gal/acre * 3,000acres * $3.60/gal = $4,320

Lube Cost = $4,320 * 0.10 = $432

Labor Cost

John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 455 Drill

Labor cost = ($15/hr * 168.38hr) * 1.2 = $3,030.

John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 1890 No-Till Air Seeder

Labor cost = ($15/hr * 130.42hr) * 1.2 = $2,347.56

Seed Cost

John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 455 Drill

Jagger seed wheat $10/bu

Seed cost = ($10/bu * 1.66 bu/acre) * 3,000 acres = $49,980

John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 1890 No-Till Air Seeder

Jagger seed wheat $10/bu

Seed cost = $49,980 - ($49,980 * 0.30) = $34,986

1890 No-Till Air Seeder Cost Savings

455 Box Drill Operating Cost/year $57,578

1890 No-Till Air Seeder Operating Cost/year $42,527

1890 No-Till Air Seeder Cost Savings/year $15,051

Capital Recovery Period

Annual cost reduction benefits of the air seeder = $15,051

Increased purchase cost of the air seeder = $45,485

Number of years to repay cost difference ( $45,485/$15,051) = 3.02 years

Over a 10 year period the air seeder will save ($15,051*10years) - $45,485 = $105,025