Fendt Momentum Crop Tour Underway in 2020
See for yourself the results this all-new planter can deliver in the field.
By Marilyn Cummins
As part of the introduction of the new Fendt® Momentum™ planter, available for order now, AGCO will be demonstrating how the all-new design can alleviate planting-time soil compaction in Fendt Momentum Crop Tour plots this summer, says Jason Lee, AGCO North American agronomist and farm solutions specialist.
“It’s really exciting to see how we can manage soil compaction from an equipment standpoint while still maintaining productivity with a high-capacity planter that can cover a lot of acres. A big focus of this year’s Crop Tour will be compaction management,” he says, focusing on how tire inflation, planter weight management and controlled traffic strategies can lessen soil compaction for optimum yields and higher return on investment for producers.
The new Momentum planter is an advanced planting system with AGCO-exclusive SmartFrame™ technologies, including a vertical contouring toolbar design to match any terrain for optimum seeding depth control. The planter’s optional weight management system, Load-Logic™, lowers yield-robbing soil compaction by automatically adjusting tire pressures and hydraulically managing the weight of the high-capacity central-fill seed tanks and liquid fertilizer tank across the toolbar. In addition, the unique in-line tandem center-section wheels concentrate the planter’s weight in the tractor’s tracks while eliminating pinch rows from the planter.
Lowering Compaction To Increase Yields
The 2020 Fendt Momentum Crop Tour plots have been planted using the Momentum planter and the Load Logic system to demonstrate how the automated technology reduces compaction to positively impact plant health and yield. Side-by-side treatment passes will compare high and low tire inflation and three weight distribution modes: weight balanced evenly across the toolbar, weight concentrated on the in-line tandem transport wheels to demonstrate a controlled traffic application and with the weight management system disabled.
The Fendt Momentum planter’s vertical contouring toolbar flexes to match any ground contour.
This fifth season of the AGCO Crop Tour program also will continue to demonstrate how best planting practices improve seedling establishment and crop yields. The pre-production Fendt Momentum models used in the plots are equipped with Precision Planting® components that sense furrow data; ensure precise singulation, downforce and planting depth; and enable high-speed planting.
“With the new contouring toolbar of Momentum and its unique ability to flex and engage with the soil, we’re going to have control of seeding depth like never before across the entire planter frame, especially in very uneven terrain,” Lee says.
“We’re going to have control of seeding depth like never before across the entire planter frame, especially in very uneven terrain.”Click To Tweet
Corn has been planted at Pontiac, Illinois; Stewartville, Minnesota; Baltic, South Dakota; and Chillicothe and Lima, Ohio, in plots with a variety of soil types and topographies.
Follow the Fendt Momentum Crop Tour online
Traditionally, growers and dealers are invited to educational plot demonstrations in July and August to see crop differences firsthand and learn about the practices and technology involved. In consideration of customer health and concerns about COVID-19, AGCO is formulating plans to also share the agronomic knowledge from the Crop Tour with producers virtually. AGCO will report plot progress, event updates and harvest results through farm media outlets, as well as online and on social media at Fendt.com; on Facebook at Fendt Global and on Twitter @Fendt_NA. Follow the hashtags #AGCOCropTour and #FendtMomentum on social media.
