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- Michigan Potato Grower Saves Time, Labor with New 12-row Planter
By Karen Gentry
Associate Editor
One tractor, one operator versus two tractors and two operators. That’s a major advantage to a 12-row potato planter, made for Norm and John Crooks from Crooks Farms near Stanton, Mich.
With a 12-row planter, growers can get by with one less tractor, one less truck and one less set of loading equipment, according to Joel Midgarden, area sales manager for Harriston Manufacturing (division of TerraMarc), manufacturers of potato and bean equipment.
Although harder to transport from field to field, Crooks Farms’ 12-row planter covers a lot of ground quickly when planting.
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Norm Crooks and his son, John traveled to Minto, N.D. in December, 1999 to work with Harriston to help them create one of the company’s first 12-row planters based on their needs. They helped engineer the fertilizer and chemical placement and they wanted a lower profile than what Harriston had originally come up with. The planter was delivered to the Crooks farm last February.
“It was kind of a group effort between Crooks Farms, Sackett’s and Harriston,” said Midgarden. Sackett Farm Equipment in McBride, Mich. services mid-Michigan for Harriston.
“Before we were using three pieces of equipment, a fertilizer applicator, followed by two eight-row planters,” said John Crooks. Now only one person is needed to put on fertilizer and to plant potatoes. “We used it in the spring and it worked pretty well,” he said.
“It helped on soil compaction and of course with the 12-row we have less wheel marks,” said Norm. He said he believes 12-row planters are limited to large growers. Midgarden said there are only a handful of the 12-row planters around although there is more and more interest in them. The Crooks farm purchased a John Deere 8410 tractor for the planter and they can use the tractor all year long.
“The 12-row has a rigid frame with individual row flexibility,” said Bruce Sackett from Sackett Farm Equipment. “We do carry a lot of weight on the tongue. We can pull it fairly easily,” said Norm.
“The biggest problem with a 12-row planter is transportation from field to field. Once in the field it can really cover a lot of ground,” said Midgarden. “We built a trailer and run the planter on it. We pull it endwise down the road,” said Norm. He said the planter in planting position is 34 feet wide but 14 feet wide when pulling it with their trailer on the road.
The Crooks operation used the planter for the first time to plant potatoes at its southern Michigan location in St. Joseph County and two-three weeks later at their home farm in mid-Michigan. The Crooks, one of the largest potato growers in Michigan, grow 800 acres of potatoes in St. Joseph County and 2,400 acres in Montcalm County, all going for potato chips.
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