Types of Corn Planters

History

• The first patent for a corn planter was given to the Acme Company in the 1850s and consisted of a box that held the corn seed attached to a set of handles. At the lower end of the apparatus was a metal tip, which was pushed into the ground in order to plant the seed. On the handle of the planter was a trigger that was squeezed to release the seed down through a plate, which controlled the amount of seed to be dispensed and into the metal tip for dispersal into the ground.

Evolution

• Technology is constantly changing the scheme of the modern farm. Corn planters are now available that seed multiple rows of corn while also dispensing fertilize into the ground at the same time. Like their ancient predecessors, most of these planters also use a plate, which controls the amount of seed that is dispensed. These plates are numbered according to the size of the seed. The size of the seed is often marked on the bags of seed corn to make choosing the proper plate easier for the farmer.

Garden Planters

• Modern technology now enables the family gardener the ease of planting corn without all the backbreaking work and without having to plant one hill at a time. There are corn planters available that consist of a hopper mounted upon handles attached to a large wheel. The apparatus rolls along the plowed ground, dispensing corn seed down through a planting tube into the ground. Gears on the corn planter trigger the dispersal of seed according to a sizable plate in the hopper.

Industrial Planters

• Large industrial corn planters, which can seed upward of 70 or more rows of corn in one pass, are the industry standard for farmers who routinely plant hundreds of acres of corn each year. These large implements require the use of a high-horsepower, four-wheel drive tractor to pull it through the field due to the extreme weight of the implement and the seed and fertilize it carries.

Soil Preparation

• Most large, multiple-row corn planters require that the soil be plowed and disced to allow for ease of planting. There are also smaller corn planters available which are called "no till" planters that allow corn to be seeded into ground that is not cultivated. Corn planters for the family garden require that the soil be cultivated and properly prepared to properly cover the seed during planting.

Benefits

• Corn planters benefit the farmer by increasing production while decreasing labor, time and costs. As technology continues to advance, newer technologies such as air-forced planting and bulk-fill seed hoppers continue to advance the modern farmer's productivity while decreasing labor costs.