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PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION EDITOR: MICHAEL RAINE | Ph: 306-665-3592 F: 306-934-2401 | E-MAIL: MICHAEL.RAINE@PRODUCER.COM
THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | DECEMBER 13, 2012
AGCO’S SINGLE DISC DRILL
LEAVES LITTLE RESIDUE
Th e high speed, single disc drill means more
acres and reduced tillage. Packers act as
gauge wheels. | Page 85
Unlike conventional row drills, the Sunflower 9700 is designed for ribbon seeding, offering three options for fertilizer placement. | RON LYSENG PHOTO
EQUIPMENT | SEEDING
Concord flies again under Sunflower wing
Agco-Amity team up | The Sunflower 9700 is designed for small grain and features a five inch wide seedbed
BY RON LYSENG
WINNIPEG BUREAU
WAHPETON, N.D. — There’s good
news for farmers who shook their
heads when the Concord air drill was
pulled from the market.
The Sunflower 9700 Air Till Drill,
which will be available for the 2013
seeding season, is a Concord drill
with serious upgrades, said Mark
Wyrick, global product manager for
the Agco-Amity joint venture.
“When we were at Farm Progress in
Regina last year, a lot of farmers were
asking when we’re going to bring
back the Concord,” Wyrick said.
“The Sunflower 9700 is the next
generation of what would have been
called the Concord. It’s the same
concept as the Concord, but with a
lot of improvements. The team that
designed the Sunflower 9700 is the
BY RON LYSENG
WINNIPEG BUREAU
WAHPETON, N.D. — The evolution
of brand names and ownership of
farm equipment factories can be as
confusing as seeing three paint
schemes on the same implement.
For example, seeding and tillage
equipment rolling out of the factory
in Wahpeton, North Dakota, might
have a connection to Fargo Products,
Amity, Agco, Wil-Rich, Wishek, Challenger
or Sunflower, according to
Mark Wyrick, global product manager
at the plant.
“The product line here in Wahpe-
same team that designed the original
Concord.”
The drill is manufactured in Wahpeton
under the joint venture.
Wyrick said the 9700 is designed to
be a one-pass drill for small grain.
The wide ribbon seed bed is a key
feature, and the five inch wide seedbed
has the highest seedbed utilization
available with row packing.
The shanks are on a 10 inch row
spacing. Each ribbon row is five
inches wide, which leaves a five inch
non-tilled strip between each row.
Wyrick said the 9700 has more of a
square shaped frame and is deeper
front to rear. Unlike the 9800 Single
Disc Drill that Agco-Amity introduced
at the same time, the Air Till
Drill is intended to operate at a more
conventional five m.p.h.
“Ribbon seeding was long ago
proven to produce yields that consis-
ton is comprised of components or
remnants from numerous companies,”
said Wyrick.
Brothers Howard and Brian Dahl
are the major players in bringing
these products together, he added.
Farm equipment is in their blood,
dating back to 1948 when their
grandfather was a founding partner
in the Melroe Bobcat company.
Their father bought control of
Steiger in 1970 and served as chief
executive officer, turning the tractor
company into a thriving business
that he sold to Case in 1986.
Howard and Brian incorporated
Concord in 1977 and quickly made it
tently outperform conventional row
drills,” said Tom Draper, product
manager of seeding and tillage
equipment at Sunflower.
“Plant response with ribbon seeding
is a much stronger stem, superior
roots and maximum yields. Concord
proved over and over again that this
is the key to maximum production.”
He said ribbon seeding is the foundation
of the 9700 and allows producers
to choose between three
options for fertilizer placement:
• fertilizer can be placed with the
seed in the ribbon
• fertilizer can be placed below the
seed ribbon with a variety of opener
configurations
• anhydrous can be placed at the
wing tips of sweep openers
Draper said packing is the key to
uniform emergence in cereal grains,
and good packing can’t be attained
MACHINERY | SEEDING
Agco’s new line has long heritage
the number one air seeder in North
America. When Case bought Concord
in 1996, the Dahls established
Amity Technology, which focused on
leading edge technology in seeding
and beet harvest equipment.
At the same time, former Concord
employees established Fargo Products,
which designed the stainless
steel air tank and the drill now known
as the Sunflower 9700. Fargo Products
also discovered the Australian
single disc drill now known as the
Sunflower 9800.
Amity then bought Fargo Products
and its patents. In 2006, it bought 50
percent of Wishek. Amity stepped
without a heavy frame. Weighing in at
36,500 pounds for the 60 foot drill,
the Amity-designed 9700 weighs
more than most similar drills from
other competitors.
Each packing wheel is mounted on
its own walking beam, and each
walking beam has its own individual
spring mount to the drill frame. A run
will hop stones or ridges that it
encounters without affecting the
others.
The 9700 functions in all seeding
situations, from conventional tillage
to no-till in heavy residue, but seeding
into heavy residue was the design
team’s major goal. Shanks are
arranged on the frame so the drill can
seed into extreme conditions without
clogging.
Optional coulters at the front are
available for severe residue situations
such as standing corn stalks
further into the air seeding business
in 2007 when it bought the design
and patents for the Australian single
disc drill.
“Then in 2011, Wil-Rich and Wishek
became part of a joint venture com-
83
and heavy wheat residue.
An optional disc leveller prevents
the rear shanks from covering the
rows of the front shanks, ensuring
that all seed rows have an equal
amount of soil cover for uniform seed
germination and emergence.
Depth control collars on the
hydraulic packer lift cylinders allow
the operator to see if all openers are at
the correct depth. Re-phasing lift
cylinders allows the drill to return to
the same level after raising and lowering.
The drill has a 650 lb. trip spring to
allow the openers to jump over
obstacles and immediately return to
work. The 9700 can be set up for
anhydrous ammonia.
Power requirements are seven to
nine horsepower per foot of drill.
For more information, visit www.
sunflowermfg.com.
Agco’s seeding equipment is made from parts from different companies.
| FILE PHOTO
pany formed by Agco and Amity,”
said Wyrick. “This was a good move
for all parties. Agco gets a new line of
seeding equipment, which they
needed, and Amity gains access to
new markets.”