Cannon seeder

Sometimes it rains a lot. If it rains too much in the spring, farmers have trouble getting into the field to sow seeds because the equipment bogs down. Occasionally farmers resort to seeding by plane, in a manner akin to a crop duster.

I propose that a truck-mounted pneumatic cannon would be a cheap and more precise alternative to a plane. The truck would park on the nearest accessible dry land. The cannon would fire charges of seed which explode at a given height over the muddy field. Many shots would be necessary, in an organized fashion. Always in an organized, sober and businessslike fashion. The seeds might be accompanied by orange paper wads or some other marker to confirm a given tract had been seeded. If necessary, a scarecrow (with stake) might be launched to punctuate the operation. It may be necessary to launch several scarecrows if they do not stick in the mud properly or other mishaps prevent optimal scariness.

The cannon seeder might also be useful to reseed steep and treacherous territory after erosion or a landslide. Fast growing weeds or even kudzu cuttings would be shot up into the slope.

If it gains popularity, the cannon seeder might be used for conventional dry weather seeding as well. In this case, "plow" charges might be fired over the field to prepare the soil in advance of the seed. I propose that charges releasing ice schrapnel might work well to prepare the soil.