Cover crops help with soil erosion, improve soil health, crowd out weeds, control pests and diseases, increase biodiversity, and can — due to these benefits– increase profitability.

Lundell Plastics’ newest product is meant to increase that profitability even further.

Many farmers are not only growing cover crops, but they are growing them taller, allowing the plant to gather more nutrients from the air and soil, as well as growing a deeper root base. Fields without terraces benefit the most due to less erosion and the future addition of more nitrogen into the ground, from — as an example — 6-foot or taller rye.

Lundell’s patented product provides crimping for terminating tall cover crops.

-Submitted photo
Lundell Plastics’ newest product, the crimping gauge wheel, is intended to increase profitability for farmers who use cover crops.

With the rising cost of inputs, Lundell Plastics’ new solution is an effective alternative to herbicides.

“This product gives growers unrivaled capabilities in terms of being able to crimp and plant in one pass, even while following the contour of uneven ground,” said Matt Roeder, Lundell Plastics’ product engineer. “It’s the latest example of our company making hard work simple for customers.”

The crimping gauge wheel provides an excellent crimp, effectively killing off the cover crop without the need for herbicides. Unlike pull-type crimpers, these wheels follow the ground’s contour to get nearly a 100% kill, even on irregular terrain.

The manufacturer touts several benefits of their crimping wheel: direct bolt-on replacement for factory gauge wheels; additional passes are not required through the field, saving time and fuel; no need to plant in the same direction as a previous crimper pass; and how the product assists the planter through thick cover crops to get seed in the ground.

Lundell Plastics is best known for manufacturing world-class planting, harvest, and industrial equipment as well as specialty and customer plastics. They pioneered the auger market, replacing traditional steel flighting with hi-tech plastic that is durable and handles seed more gently. Today, they manufacture and ship innovative poly products internationally from their Odebolt facility.

For more information about this company’s innovative products, visit LundellPlastics.com.