Economic returns to the mechanical planters

Mechanical planter is an important labor-saving equipment for an efficient crop production. For certain economic crops, e.g. soybean and corn planting practice is to put seeds on a hill. A planter can work fast and keep up with soil moisture availability that will allow seeds to grow. Analysis of return to investment of a corn-soybean planter as an attachment to either a farm tractor, small tractor and power tiller found that investment in both the planter and the tractor for a sole use of its power take-off for an approximate life of 10 years would not take the farm operator to break- even. Only when the operator takes the tractor for dual purposes e.g. having the tractor engaged in such different farm custom work as preparing the land, hauling and seeding etc, then the economic return would come to break even. A previous farm machinery survey showed that farmers in general own a certain type of tractor and operate them in various farm and custom activities. A further investment in an unexpensive planter would return the economic pay-off. A planter may be capable to work more than 100 rai (2.5 rai = 1 acre) of areage depending upon its and the tractor types. A comparative study on the manual and mechanical seeding points out that a seeder works faster and assist to achieve more germination percentage on relatively large areas of 100-200 rai and over. Seeding a field manually works slower and often does not keep pace with moisture retention in the soil and certainly with lesser germination. Moreover, the farm operator might occasionally face with shortage of the labor. In peak growing seasons for corn and soybean, competitive demand for efficient but limiting seeding labor force follows and results in an extensive use of a planter in the major crop producing areas, additionally in an effort to keep pace with the growing and harvesting periods. However, for a smallholder, manual seeding is appropriate since an invertment in both a tractor or tiller with an attachment of the planting equipment of a working life of 10 years does not come up to the break-even payoff.