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Dan Miller
By  Dan Miller , Progressive Farmer Senior Editor
True Speed is built to work as one piece of Kinze's planting system which includes True Depth hydraulic downforce and Blue Vantage planter control display. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Dan Miller)

Kinze Manufacturing, Williamsburg, Iowa, announced last week that it has developed a high-speed, electric meter and seed tube that provides row-crop farmers accurate seed placement at speeds up to 12 miles per hour. Sold by the name True Speed, Kinze plans to have the units in place for the 2021 planting season.

"The meter will do 12 miles per hour," said Eric Broadbent, Kinze's director of sales for North America. "But not everyone will want to go that fast." Key is control, he said. True Speed brings accurate singulation no matter seed shape or size, and consistent spacing to the planter at speeds from 3 mph to 12 mph.

"[Farmers] want the speed to match all aspects of planting, seeds and planting conditions from no-till to full tillage," Broadbent said. "The farmer is in control with True Speed." The unit has been in development for about 24 months.

True Speed is one component of a planting system that includes Kinze's True Depth hydraulic downforce and Kinze's Blue Vantage display. The display is the interface that relays planting intentions from the grower to the planter.

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"I'm very proud of this simple, exceptionally accurate Kinze high-speed planting solution," said Susanne Veatch, president of Kinze. "As a farmer myself, I know this product will provide our customers with more flexibility and productivity during planting season."

The system was developed in cooperation with Ag Leader Technology, Ames, Iowa, which will market the meter and seed tube as SureSpeed, also for the 2021 planting season.

"Leveraging Kinze's expertise in leading seed meter technology ensured a high-quality product," said Al Myers, president of Ag Leader. "SureSpeed broadens our planting portfolio." The SureSpeed planting system is controlled by Ag Leader's display, InCommand 1200.

That Kinze and Ag Leader are working together on planting systems is not new. Ag Leader technology is often factory-installed onto new Kinze planters. And, many Kinze dealers are also Ag Leader dealers, where Ag Leader systems are installed after-market.

"We feel they are a leader in the industry," Broadbent said. "They too were looking for a [metering] solution." Kinze retains control of the intellectual property found in the True Speed meter and seed tube.

Kinze and Ag Leader will both display their True Speed and SureSeed seed metering systems at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky, Feb. 12-15.

Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @DMillerPF

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Dan Miller