Precision agriculture company Ag Leader Technology announced Hydraulic Down Force 8-Section Control for planters. The addition of 8- Section Control adds several new features to the company’s Hydraulic Down Force System.

Row-by-row sensing allows the system to monitor and respond to the down force needs of each row, in order to account for frequent variations in field conditions. The system also adds greater flexibility with up to eight sections of control and multiple configurations available.

“More sections of control and row-by-row sensing are two factors that play heavily into improving plant emergence and root development,” says Roger Zielke, Product Manager. “By sensing with more precision, and offering more sections, the Hydraulic Down Force System is able to recognize variations in field conditions and respond by planting seed at the proper depth.”

“The accumulator is able to accept up to 100 percent of the down force actuator’s hydraulic fluid capacity,” explains Brett Buehler, Product specialist. “This allows the row unit to ride more smoothly over in-field obstacles and less stress caused to the row unit by those obstacles.”

Additionally, Ag Leader’s 8-Section Control provides Virtual Terminal capability through a new ISOBUS module. The module allows functionality with any Virtual Terminal capable in-cab display, giving users the option to choose 1-4 sensors per channel and ensuring cross-brand compatibility with the Hydraulic Down Force System.

Hydraulic Down Force 8-Section Control will be available for order Fall 2014.