There's plenty to think about when you’re trying to get a perfect stand. You’ve got your fertilizer, machinery and weather conditions to battle with.

While these are all important things, Chuck Fulk of Platte City, Mo., says that sometimes it’s best to get a good understanding of how important seeding accuracy is to you before entering your no-till fields.

Be Objective

“A lot of times people are telling things that they consider to be important or not important, but their motive may be to sell you something,” he warns. “We need to be really careful about what we accept, because it may be of more benefit to the guy selling you things than what we’d get out of it.”

Fulk ought to know. As the owner of Fulk Agri Services, he makes it his business to know exactly what each farmer’s needs are before trying to sell them on a specific idea or product.

“Too many people are followers,” he says. “A lot of times we’ll get locked into an idea and we won’t be open to other alternatives. One of the things I’ve learned from some people that I’ve been around and learned a lot from is they always ask why.

“Ask why something works. Don’t just listen to research and believe that whatever they’re doing is best. Ask why it works and see if it’ll work in your situation.”

Another thing that can be dangerous, Fulk says, is misleading research.

“I went to a university trial last summer…