Haley Sidebander Crossing The Plains

Haley Sidebander Crossing The Plains FERTILIZER APPLICATION Fertilizer Application (58f) 6-6-24 Looking like a giant seed drill, Steve Haley's new Sidebander made its appearance at a recent western Canada farm show where, says Haley, "interest was great ù once everyone understood what it does." "It's cheaper than an air seeder," says Haley whose Sidebander is mounted on a cultivator and can either be pulled ahead of a conventional seed drill or through the field alone. The fertilizer boxes on the Sidebander deposit fertilizer behind the shanks of the cultivator exactly beside and about 2 in. below the seed. "Latest research has convinced many farmers and manufacturers that there's no more effective or efficient way to get nutrients to the plant than to lay them next to the root zone where they can be used," says Haley. The machine has been used on Haley's farm for the last two years, applying some 200 lbs. per acre on wheat ground, with 150 lbs. in a band near the seed row and about 50 lbs. with the seed. He says yields increase anywhere from 10 to 50% with pre-plant banding. "My own barley has shown a test weight of 55.3 lbs. per bu., whereas in the past I never had a test weight above 51 or 52 lbs. I'm convinced that fertilizer banding helps boost both yield and quality of small grains." Haley says that at $900 to $1,000 a foot, the machine is much cheaper than air seeders, assuming the farmer already owns a conventional grain drill. He notes that the bander can also be used in row crops, but has not been tested with row planters because there are few row crops in Alberta. The standard 14-ft. Sidebander, which can be ganged with a second 14-ft. model, holds 2,500 lbs. of fertilizer. Haley, together with the local manufacturer building the machine, will custom-build machines to any size. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Haley Sidebander, Steve Haley, Haley Sidebander Ltd., Box 788, Athabasca, Alta., Canada TOG OBO (ph 403 675-4612 or 948-7771).

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