Farmers getting ready for spring planting should start prepping their machinery so as to avoid any downtime that could hit them during seeding. CHS lubricants expert Tanner Intveld says putting in a maintenance program is the first important move to make.

According to Iowa State University extension, one eight hour day of downtime can cost farmers $2,400 at planting. Intveld says when prepping machinery, they recommend using synthetic oil as it’s good at protecting against weather extremes.

He adds producers should conduct a lube analysis.

Intveld says producers can get more tips on machinery prep by going to the Cenex.com website. He says there’s also great information available at local dealerships.