Precision Agriculture
Economic return of
John Deer 455 Box Drill vs. John Deer 1890 No-Till Air Seeder
Thomas Entz
Economic Return of a Box Drill Vs. No-Till Air Seeder
Goals
• To find the selling prices of each drill.
• Determining positive and negative affects of each drill.
• Finding the amount of total input the air seeder will save
when planting winter wheat.
• The amount of time it will take the savings from the air
seeder to cover the cost difference between the box drill.
John Deere 455 Drill
Selling Price of John Deere 455 Drill 35 Ft.
455 Folding Drill - 35Ft $58,068
Plain Grain - For 7.5" Row Spacing $8,177
Setup $1,700
Freight $1,250
Suggested Price $69,195
Customer Discounts $15,048
Total Selling Price $54,147
John Deere 1890 No-Till Drill
Selling Price of John Deere 1890 No-Till Air Drill 36 Ft.
1890 No-Till Air Drill - 36 Ft. $99,449
90 Series Openers $13,641
Single Shoot Air Package $599
All Run Blockage for Seed $7,702
Flotation Tires, Duals on Wings $3,493
Setup $4,600
Freight $2,500
Suggested Price $131,984
Customer Discounts $32,352
Total Selling Price $99,632
Seed Planting Depth
Box Drill vs. Air Seeder
• When crossing terraces with a box drill the opener and
press wheel location causes seed to be placed too
shallow on the back side and too deep on the front,
causing skips. This occurs because the press wheel is
located 15 inches behind the openers.
• When crossing terraces with a no-till air drill the press
wheel is 4 inches behind the openers. This allows the
seed to be placed at a constant depth over terraces.
455 Opener & Press Wheel
1890 Air Seeder Opener & Press Wheel
Planting Methods with a Box Drill
• The 15 inch distance between the openers and press wheels
cause farmers to either plant following the direction of the
terraces or planting over the terraces and replanting the spot
initially missed by drill floatation.
• Contour planting involves individually planting each terrace.
This increases the number of turns and also occasionally
involves double planting the center pass.
Planting Methods with an Air Drill
• The 4 inch distance between the openers and press wheel allows the
air drill to cross terraces and plant in a straight line. This decreases
turning time and the amount of seed used.
• Planting in straight lines is 30% faster than contour planting. This
decreases multiple input costs: fuel, labor, repairs, maintenance, and
seed.
Model Farm Size & Input Costs
3,000 Acres of Winter Wheat
 Repair & maintenance cost
 Fuel & lube cost
 Labor cost
 Seed cost
Repair & Maintenance Cost
John Deere 455 Box Drill
Acres per hour = 0.1212*6mph*35ft*0.70 = 17.82 APH
Hours of operation = 3,000 acres / 17.82 APH = 168.38 hours
Repair & maintenance = 0.32 * $54,147 * [(168.38hr/1000)^2.1] = $410
John Deere 1890 No-Till Air Seeder
Acres per hour = (17.82 * 0.30) + 17.82 = 23 APH
Hours of operation = 3,000 acres / 23 APH = 130.42 hours
Repair & maintenance = 0.32 * $99,592 * [(130.42hr/1000)^2.1] = $442
Fuel & Lube Cost
John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 455 Drill
Acres per hour = 0.1212*6mph*35ft*0.70 = 17.82 APH
Hours of operation = 3,000 acres / 17.82 APH = 168.38 hours
Fuel cost = 0.35gal/acre * 3,000acres * $3.60/gal = $3,780
Lube Cost = $3780 * 0.10 = $378
John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 1890 No-Till Air Seeder
Acres per hour = (17.82 * 0.30) + 17.82 = 23 APH
Hours of operation = 3,000 acres / 23 APH = 130.42 hours
Fuel cost = 0.40gal/acre * 3,000acres * $3.60/gal = $4,320
Lube Cost = $4,320 * 0.10 = $432
Labor Cost
John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 455 Drill
Labor cost = ($15/hr * 168.38hr) * 1.2 = $3,030.
John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 1890 No-Till Air Seeder
Labor cost = ($15/hr * 130.42hr) * 1.2 = $2,347.56
Seed Cost
John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 455 Drill
Jagger seed wheat $10/bu
Seed cost = ($10/bu * 1.66 bu/acre) * 3,000 acres = $49,980
John Deere 250 HP 4WD Tractor Pulling 1890 No-Till Air Seeder
Jagger seed wheat $10/bu
Seed cost = $49,980 - ($49,980 * 0.30) = $34,986
1890 No-Till Air Seeder Cost Savings
455 Box Drill Operating Cost/year $57,578
1890 No-Till Air Seeder Operating Cost/year $42,527
1890 No-Till Air Seeder Cost Savings/year $15,051
Capital Recovery Period
Annual cost reduction benefits of the air seeder = $15,051
Increased purchase cost of the air seeder = $45,485
Number of years to repay cost difference ( $45,485/$15,051) = 3.02 years
Over a 10 year period the air seeder will save ($15,051*10years) - $45,485 = $105,025