Great Plains Wins Two AE50 Awards

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) recently announced that Great Plains Ag Division has won two AE50 awards.

The Great Plains Short Disk™ and Nutri-Pro® Anhydrous Coulter have been deemed two of the year’s most innovative designs in engineering for the agriculture industry. Each of these products will be featured in the January/February 2015 special AE50 issue of Resource magazine. Great Plains has been awarded a total of 16 AE50 awards in the company’s history.

“We are honored to receive this recognition for both the Short Disk and Nutri-Pro Anhydrous Fertilizer Coulter,” said Mike McClure, Great Plains Engineering Manager. “These two new innovations provide enhanced productivity, accuracy, and consistency to the Great Plains line of products.”

The Short Disk’s European-style parallel gangs deliver the high speed, consistency, and maneuverability of European disks, but are designed to endure high-residue field conditions in North America.

“We spread the gangs apart, allowing the Short Disk to flow the higher residue that occurs here in the States,” said tillage engineer Hank Kummer. “Unlike some competitors who run the blades all one direction in the front and all one direction in the back, we’ve split in the center. Our disk throws out to both sides in the front and throws in from both sides in the back, preventing ‘dog tracking’ when it hits heavy soil conditions, yet achieving excellent cutout and a smooth, consistent surface throughout the field.”

The Short Disk also features exclusive PEER® TILLXTREME® maintenance-free tapered-roller bearing hubs with 6-lip cassette seals per disk, as well as smaller PEER® TILLXTREME® maintenance-free bearings in the rolling attachments, extending the life of bearings and reducing maintenance costs.

The new Nutri-Pro® Anhydrous Coulter applies anhydrous ammonia with a 22″ anhydrous coulter blade for precise, high-speed anhydrous placement. With the ability to apply and seal anhydrous ammonia up to 6″ deep at a speed of 8 miles per hour, it provides speed and productivity with minimal loss and maximized efficiency.

“The unique anhydrous coulter uses a single coulter blade to open up the soil, followed by a rigid tine to place the fertilizer at the bottom of the trench,” said engineer Jim Cooper. “Then, spider sealers tightly lock nutrients in the ground, allowing virtually no gas to escape.”

Minimal ground disturbance allows anhydrous fertilizer application closer to planting, preventing nutrient loss to leeching and denitrification. In contrast to rigid shank machines, the anhydrous coulter provides excellent stability and maneuverability in high-residue field conditions.

Companies from around the world submit entries to the annual AE50 competition and up to 50 of the best products are chosen by a panel of international engineering experts. The awards program is sponsored by Resource to emphasize engineering developments that help farmers, food processors and equipment manufacturers cut costs, enhance quality and increase profits. Learn more at http://www.asabe.org.