Agriculture Technology Podcast · RDO Equipment Co.

Ep. 217 - Model Year 2026 Precision Upgrades for Planters and Air Seeders

·23 min·1 clip

The ExactEmerge meter upgrade turns a MaxEmerge 5E planter into a high-speed planter up to 10 miles an hour.

1. Agriculture Technology Podcast episode 217 centers on John Deere model year 2026 precision upgrades for planters and air seeders. 2. Tony Kramer hosts the episode, and Taryn Fishels, product marketing manager for Precision Upgrades at John Deere, explains the planting and air-seeding lineup. 3. The episode asks what growers can retrofit onto equipment already on the farm, and Fishels frames the answer as lower upfront cost and more flexibility. 4. Kramer and Fishels first define Precision Upgrade kits as a way to bring the latest technology from new equipment onto machines already in use. 5. Fishels says the Ultimate Planter Upgrade can rebuild planter row units back to 2005 equipment, including parallel arms, downforce, electric-drive meters, and SeedStar 5. 6. She says the Ultimate Planter Upgrade can include exactEmerge or MaxEmerge 5E meters, new closing wheels, row cleaners, a G5 display, and tractor implement ethernet. 7. Kramer then shifts to the MaxEmerge 5E meter-only upgrade, which Fishels says is for MaxEmerge 5 planters back to 2015. 8. That kit keeps the shank and parallel arms in place, but adds a MaxEmerge 5E meter, a single electric motor, SeedStar 5, and a G5 display. 9. Fishels contrasts that with the ExactEmerge meter-only upgrade, which converts a MaxEmerge 5E planter into a high-speed ExactEmerge planter. 10. She says the ExactEmerge kit adds the ExactEmerge meter, brush belt delivery system, and dual electric motors that support planting up to 10 miles an hour. 11. Fishels says some customers already have a good planter frame and only want meter changes, rather than a full rebuild. 12. She also says the meter-only options let growers move from earlier MaxEmerge 5 or MaxEmerge 5E technology into newer ExactEmerge performance without replacing the iron. 13. The air-seeding section focuses on the 1910 accurate meter upgrade for carts back to 2005. 14. Fishels says the 1910 kit replaces the tank-down system with stainless steel and composite materials to reduce corrosion and maintenance cost. 15. She adds that the kit uses eight electronically controlled motors, which John Deere says make prescriptions eight times more accurate. 16. Fishels says Section Command Pro lets each meter shut off independently, which helps avoid seed dumping and damage from gates. 17. She and Kramer also discuss curb compensation, which helps keep rates accurate across the whole tool on curves and turns. 18. Fishels says EZ-Cal on the G5E display makes calibration faster than the old bag-calibration process, and she describes positive feedback from clinics and events. 19. The episode has a practical interview style, with Kramer asking direct compatibility questions and Fishels answering in product-spec detail. 20. Listeners who manage planters or air seeders with older Deere equipment will get the most value, while people looking for general ag news may skip it.

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