1 Spring 2011 Volume 1

A Quarterly Publication by MacAllister Machinery

Spring 2011 Volume 1

Welcome to “The Grain Bin: Kernels of Informa-tion,” MacAllister Machinery‟s NEW quarterly newslet-ter. As Indiana‟s fastest growing full-line agricultural equipment dealer, we are committed to supplying the highest quality equipment and customer service. One way we intend to do so is through “The Grain Bin,” as

with each issue we aim to inform, introduce, and entertain. Every issue will include a health and safety column and a „Did You Know? Fun Facts About MacAllister Machinery‟ column, along with in-formation on various current events, company happenings, and agriculture industry news. “The Grain Bin” is also your source for learning about new equipment and new technologies in farming. In addition, we strive to entertain through regular columns such as „Creative Uses for Everyday Items‟ and „Farmer‟s Future Forecast,‟ and seasonally-relevant topics. As our vision states, we believe our customers should be more profitable by doing business with us than with our competitors. We have several Ag Focus Facilities throughout the state pre-pared to meet your agriculture business demands with our ag equipment specialists and legendary Caterpillar dealer parts and service systems. Please come in to one of our Ag Focus Facilities, call your local ag sales representative, or visit our website at www.MacAllister.com/ag to learn more about how we can provide you with excellent products and world-class product support.

Kernels of Information

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Information provided by Sunflower, the seeding and tillage division of AGCO.

www.sunflowermfg.com

New Vertical Tillage System

Vertical tillage creates a vertical soil profile with consistent soil moisture and a more even soil temperature. It also creates a soil surface that resists wind and water erosion. However, not all ver-tical tillage systems are created equal; only one aims higher, where the sky is the only limit for all-new technology and unique, innovative features: the Sunflower® 6630. MacAllister Machinery is proud to offer AGCO‟s new vertical tillage system, the Sunflower

6630; which allows planting up to ten days earlier, as it cuts through tough residue and exposes cold, wet soils to the sun. It was specifically designed to create an ideal field surface by mixing plant residues with the upper layers of the soil profile, thus allowing the soil to absorb sunlight and evenly warm the top two to three inches of soil. The Sunflower 6630 accomplishes this through the use of its patent-pending SoilRazorTM VT disc blades from Ingersoll Tillage Group. Not only do these blades mix residues with the perfect amount of soil, thus creating the ideal crop bed, but they also remain sharp. As the blades wear down, the “V25” groove shifts, allowing the valley of the blade to become the hill and the hill to become the valley. This innovative feature allows the blade to maintain its sharp edge long after the competitors‟ vertical tillage coulters have become dull. In addition, the Sunflower 6630 has a heavy mainframe with many maintenance-free compo-nents, ensuring a dependable machine for years to come. Metal-to-metal contact in the machine‟s lift system has been eliminated by the use of maintenance-free UHMW plastic bearings, which re-quire no lubrication. By eliminating the metal-to-metal friction, discs stay in alignment and provide a level field. It is also equipped with heavily-braced wing frames that withstand horizontal stress and rotational torque during operation, a welded tongue that provides rigidity and strength, and a single-lip hitch that sustains adverse conditions. The Sunflower 6630 Vertical Tillage System has a low horsepower requirement, yet can operate thirty percent faster than conventional disc harrows; thus increasing the return on investment in both time and dollars as growers cover more acres using less fuel. It is available in five mod-els ranging from 21 feet wide to 32 feet wide. Contact MacAllister Machinery to learn more about the all-new Sunflower 6630.

Above: The Sunflower® 6630 creates the ideal field surface by mixing plant residues with the upper layers of the soil profile. It also allows planting up to ten days earlier.

Left: The patent-pending SoilRazorTM VT disc blades stay sharp long after the competitors‟ vertical tillage coulters have become dull.

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Hauling your planter from one field to the next can be dangerous for yourself and the drivers around you since your travel speed is much less than the automobiles on public roads. To stay safe this plant-ing season, follow these guidelines advised by the National Ag Safety Database (NASD). For more infor-mation on agriculture safety, visit their website at www.nasdonline.org.

Transport Safely

Each issue will include creative uses for everyday items. This column will provide clever and creative solutions using items already found in your home. Have a creative use for an ordinary item? Submit your idea and see it featured in “The Grain Bin.” Submis-sions can be emailed to Rick Crafton at RickCrafton@MacAllister.com.

Spring Cleaning & Remodeling Coffee Can Lid: Create a splatter shield for high sur-face paint jobs. Simply cut a slit in the center of the lid and slide your paint-brush through it. Baking Soda: Deodorize your carpet. Sprinkle baking soda on stale carpet, then vacuum a few hours later. Antacid Tablet: Remove bouquet resi-due from a vase. Add a tablet to your water-filled vase, let sit for several min-utes, then swirl and rinse.

Follow the instructions in the operator‟s manual for proper transport. Use flashing warning lights. Equip your machinery with adequate lights and reflectors. Also use a visible slow-moving vehicle emblem. Make your planter as narrow as possible during transport. When an integral hitch is used for a double planter, the implement should be transported in tandem. Use transport links to relieve the hydraulic cylin-der when equipment is transported over a mile. If the planter must be transported several miles, haul it by truck or trailer.

Above: Always make your planter as narrow as possi-ble during transport. Also be sure your slow-moving vehicle emblem is visible.

Uses for

Everyday Items

“America is not anything if it consists of each of us. It is something only if it

consists of all of us.”

Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States

Penny For Your

Thoughts

Naked and hungry: that‟s what the world would be without agriculture. It is because of this that the Agriculture Council of America (ACA) developed National Agriculture Week and Nation Ag Day to recognize and celebrate the contributions of American agriculture. National Agriculture Week begins March 13 and runs through March 19, with National Ag Day on March 15, 2011. Each year members of the agriculture industry including producers, government agencies, universities, and ag-ricultural associations host events with one goal in mind: to educate millions of consumers about the importance and contributions of American agriculture. Celebrate National Agriculture Week and Na-tional Ag Day by learning more about American agriculture. The following information was provided by the ACA. For more information, visit their website at www.agday.org.

Naked and Hungry

Over 22 million people are employed in farm or farm-related jobs including produc-tion agriculture, farm inputs, processing

and marketing, and whole-sale and retail sales. According to the 2002 Census of Agriculture, fifty percent of farmers are 55 years of age or older, which is up only three percent from 1997. The average age of the primary farm operator is 55.3. Today, one farmer sup-plies food for 144 people in the U.S. and abroad, com-

pared to 25.8 people in the 1960s.

Profile of the American Farmer Fun Facts About American Agriculture

The top five agricultural commodities in the United States are: cattle, dairy products, broilers, corn, and soybeans.

Today‟s combines can harvest 4,000 bushels of corn per hour.

Lettuce is a member of the sunflower family.

Eggs age more in one day at room tempera-ture than in one week in the refrigerator.

There are over 500 dif-ferent types of ba-nanas.

Apples are a member of the rose family.

Pumpkins are ninety percent water. Honeybee workers must visit 2 million flow-

ers to make one pound of honey. The average U.S. dairy cow produces 22.5

quarts of milk each day. Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated fruits,

they have been grown for over 8,000 years. Fresh apples float be-

cause twenty-five percent of their volume is air.

A combine can harvest enough wheat to make seventy loaves of bread in nine seconds.

One bushel of corn will sweeten more than 400 cans of pop.

One acre of soybeans can produce 82,368 crayons.

Americans need to understand how food, fiber, and renewable resource products are produced.

Consumers should value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong

economy. Every American needs to appreciate the role agricul-ture plays in providing safe, abundant, and affordable products. Agriculture is too impor-

tant of a topic to only be taught to the small percentage of students considering careers in agriculture.

Reasons to Celebrate Ag Day

America’s Farmers Produce:

46% of the world‟s soybeans 41% of the world‟s corn 20.5% of the world‟s cotton 13% of the world‟s wheat

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Farmer’s

Future

Forecast

Spring officially starts March 20, but just because the calendar says so, doesn‟t always mean Mother Nature gets the message. As with all Indiana weather we won‟t know what to ex-pect until we are waiting at the bus stop soaked and stranded without an umbrella or tiptoeing in our flip-flops through the snow. However, there may be some hints to our future weather in the pages of The Old Farmer‟s Almanac. The Almanac has been predicting the weather since 1792, when Robert E. Thomas devised a secret formula for forecasting. Today‟s forecasts are based on three scientific disciplines: solar sci-ence, climatology, and meteorology. The predictions are determined by com-paring solar patterns and historical weather conditions with current solar activity. According to The Old Farmer‟s Almanac, Indiana will experience above average temperatures and aver-age precipitation in February. While March will bring temperatures and pre-cipitation slightly below average. Northern and Central Indiana will face below average temperatures and pre-cipitation; whereas Southern Indiana will have below average temperatures, but above average precipitation in April.

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Did You Know

Fun Facts About MacAllister Machinery

MacAllister Machinery was founded in 1945 by E.W. MacAllister. He was asked to be Caterpillar Tractor Company‟s exclu-sive dealer in sixty-eight Indiana counties. Since then, MacAllister has been known for providing excellent products and world-class product support.

Holidays & Events

Valentine‟s Day FFA Week Begins Presidents‟ Day March Forth—Do Something Day International Women‟s Day Ash Wednesday Daylight Saving Time Begins National Agriculture Week Begins National Ag Day St. Patrick‟s Day Spring Begins

14 19 21 4 8 9 13 13 15 17 20

Febru

ary

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arc

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To better serve you, we are moving our ag and bus businesses to the old auto auction facility located at the NW corner of Post Road and US 52. This new location, which will be opening in mid-March, means greater ease of access and improved parts and service facilities. Watch for the next is-sue of “The Grain Bin,” as it will feature the grand opening.

Coming Soon!

Check the sprocket teeth for wear.

Check that the drive trains are not rusted or stiff.

Check the shape and condition of the shaft bearings and

sprocket bearings. Make sure they are well lubricated.

Clean and inspect the chemical meters used for seed

treatments on the planter.

Check the opener blades to make sure they are not

worn.

Use your owner’s manual for calibration.

Follow all hourly service requirements and greasing

requirements.

In the field, dig to expose seeds in the row to be certain

the planter is operating correctly. Confirm desired seed

depth and seed-to-soil contact.

Visit MacAllister Machinery to learn what's new.

Planter Preparation Checklist

Soon the snow will be melted and replaced by green grass and colorful blossoms, which can only mean one thing: planting season has arrived. Before you head back into the fields, follow the checklist below to ensure your machine is properly prepared for planting. Planters should be cleaned prior to re-entering the fields, however preparing your planter for optimum seeding takes much more than cleaning. That is why we have created a simple checklist. Take it with you when you begin inspecting your machine. Proper preparation is vital, as planters that are working incorrectly not only reduce yields, but also waste fertilizer, seed, and energy.

Preparing Your Planter

Above: 8500 Series White Planter

Above: 8100 Series White Planter

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Submissions

Submit your comments, questions, pictures, and ideas to Rick Crafton at our headquarters in Indianapolis. We look forward to hearing from you! RickCrafton@MacAllister.com

Edited by Brittany Swackhamer