“I remember at the beginning of the 80’s when the sprayer monitor arrived. Before that, you had no choice but to run out and check the pressure and the speed whilst taking all sorts of measurements. Today no one operates a sprayer without a monitor; all you need to do is drive. I believe we’re going to see the same thing happening with the Väderstad SeedEye”, Malmström says.
Seeds per square metre
The sensors installed in each seed tube on the drill form the basis of the Väderstad SeedEye. Thanks to their ability to register each and every seed that is metered through, Peter is able to use Väderstad’s iPad-based control system, E-Control, to command the drilling with precision. E-Control communicates wirelessly with the sensors via the seed drill’s gateway and ground radar. With the help of SeedEye, drilling can be controlled down to the exact number of seeds per square metre. Peter simply enters the desired amount of seed per square metre into his iPad without the need to calibrate.
“Using the Väderstad SeedEye, I’m able to calculate my exact seed requirement in numbers of seeds per square metre. Thanks to this, I can take home the correct amount of seed and be sure that I’ve always got what I need” says Peter, and he goes on to add:
“If drilling gets delayed and I want to up the seed rate, I already know beforehand exactly how much extra seed I’m going to need. So, I don’t end up unnecessarily emptying in the last bag.”
Exact control
The sensors constantly keep track of all the seeds that are being drilled, SeedEye also detects if a seed tube has become blocked for any reason. If this should happen, SeedEye gives an immediate warning so that any impact on the drilling can be quickly remedied. As a complement to the level sensors, SeedEye also indicates when the hopper runs out of seed, meaning that Peter can make the most of his work in the field.
“One of the features I particularly appreciate is that a red light comes on when the hopper has run out of seed. I know exactly when the seed has run out, without having to take chances, or waste time stopping to look”, he says.