"It presses seed down into the bottom of the furrow to improve seed-to-soil contact," says Eugene Keeton, J & K Enterprises, Trenton, Ky., about his new "seed firmer" attachment for row crop planters.

It consists of a 16-in. long abrasion-resistant curved nylon "paddle" that fastens onto the back of the seed tube with two nylon tie straps. Unit can be adjusted to increase or decrease downpressure with an adjusting screw.

"They work better than angled press wheels, which squeeze soil into the top of the furrow but often leave air pockets at the bottom. They also work better than 5-in. dia. poly wheels that mount between the disc openers and closing wheels because those tend to drag seeds along the trench in wet soil conditions. "This paddle is only 3/16 in. wide at the bottom. It's a little narrower than the seed trench so it doesn't disturb the sidewall and doesn't drag seeds. It puts seed at the bottom of the furrow where there's more moisture, and it lets you reduce down pressure on the angular press wheels. Also, it has no bearings to wear out."

Fits Deere, Kinze, White, and New Idea planters. Seed firmers for Case-IH planters and for grain drills are in development.