Planter (farm implement)

A planter is a farm implement, usually towed behind a tractor, that sows (plants) seeds in rows throughout a field.

Planters vary greatly in size, from 1 row to 54, with the biggest in the world being the 48-row John Deere DB120.

Such larger and newer planters comprise multiple modules called row units.

[1] The row units are spaced evenly along the planter[1] at intervals that vary widely by crop and locale.

On larger and more modern planters, GPS navigation and auto-steer systems for the tractor are often used, eliminating the need for the marker.

In an irregularly shaped field, the precision farming equipment will automatically hold the seed release over area already sewn when the tractor has to run overlapping pattern to avoid obstacles such as trees.

Modern planters often have a large bin for seeds that are distributed to each row known as central commodity systems.