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All articles about Cereal drills

Drills have divided opinion amongst farmers like never before, however they still have one of the most important jobs on the farm; to safely get seed into the ground and giving it the best start in life. Here you’ll find reviews from operators and owners on the best and worst points of their drill, along with launches from manufacturers of the latest technology and models. There is also a nod to farmer-built machines and how these can save thousands on buying a shiny new model.

Advice and tips

CEREAL DRILLS

How to fit a fertiliser kit to a John Deere drill

John Deere’s 750A drill is recognised as being one of the longest-serving no-till seeders used in Europe today. Other smaller manufacturers from around the globe are working hard to grab…

MACHINERY

6 options for mounted 6m tine drills

With unrelenting wet and snowy weather halting many spring drilling campaigns across the country over the past few weeks, many growers that have eventually got a chance to get some…

Upgrade improves OSR drilling without cost of new machine

Growers considering a shift away from the "subcast" technique of establishing oilseed rape to improve the performance and economic viability of their crops are being offered an upgrade that enables…

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Case studies

CEREAL DRILLS

Direct drills revisited: Ma/Ag SSP proves cost-effective

John Mair had not long taken delivery of a 6m Ma/Ag SSP from dealer Ryetec when Farmers Weekly caught up with him in 2018, having replaced a 4m version he…

CEREAL DRILLS

Simple Erth Agriseeder drill transforms Perthshire pasture

In a bid to cut seed and fertiliser costs without sacrificing sward quality, Perthshire beef and sheep producer David Mitchell has pinned his hopes on an Erth Agriseeder direct drill…

CEREAL DRILLS

Custom OSR drill applies multiple products at variable rates

Growing a high-risk crop such as oilseed rape requires a reliable yet cost-effective method of getting seeds in the ground. On the one hand, the plants need to be given…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Devon contractor develops combination roller seeder

When Devon contractor-cum-engineer Marcus Tucker returned from his second stint working in New Zealand there was one particular piece of kit he felt would really add to his own operation.…

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Community

WORKSHOP SKILLS

FW Inventions Comp 2023: Karl White's budget direct tine drill

In a bid to slash the manpower, horsepower and time required to establish crops on his heavy arable land near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Karl White built a one-pass combination drill.…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

FW Inventions Comp 2022: Tom Carnell's OSR drill

Tom Carnell’s oilseed rape drill has won highly commended in our Inventions Competition. Agricultural engineering and electronics specialist Tom Carnell built a custom low-disturbance oilseed rape seeder for a customer…

CEREAL DRILLS

FW Inventions Comp 2022: Andrew Watson’s one-pass OSR toolbar

Andrew Watson has won the simple category of the 2022 Farmers Weekly Inventions Competition with his one-pass oilseed rape toolbar. Mr Watson has created an ingenious front toolbar setup for…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

FW Inventions Comp 2022: Craig Peddie's single-pass drill

Craig Peddie’s drill get a highly commended accolade in our inventions competition. Determined to pare down the intensive plough-based tillage regime on the family farm in Fife, Craig Peddie came…

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Insights

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a trailed combination drill 2022

A couple of models have fallen by the wayside as others have come into the Ultimate Guide category for trailed full-width cultivating drills. These machines deploy tines or discs –…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct tine drill 2023

In the Ultimate Guide listing for direct drills using tine coulters, Claydon has the most changes from the previous edition thanks to the changeover from the Hybrid to Evolution design.…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct disc drill 2023

With the Agriseeder drill from Erth Engineering listed for the first time, this year’s Ultimate Guide to disc coulter seed drills reflects an even bigger choice of machines for single-pass…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a trailed cultivator drill combo

With a combination of cultivating discs, packer tyres, disc coulters and finishing tools, trailed cultivator drills offer a pretty broad skill set. On lighter land, sowing straight into a seed-bed…

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News

CEREAL DRILLS

Sky EasyDrill gets Stocks Avadex applicator mounting kit

A comprehensive mounting kit for a Stocks Ag Turbo Jet applicator enables Avadex herbicide granules to be broadcast from the Sky EasyDrill direct air seeder to combat blackgrass and other…

CEREAL DRILLS

Mzuri builds bigger mounted Pro-til drill – the 480 iGen

Grower demand is apparently behind Mzuri’s decision to build a tractor-mounted Pro-Til direct seeder larger than the existing 3m version. Apart from the added manoeuvrability of a mounted machine versus…

CEREAL DRILLS

KV's 2,200-litre F-drill front hopper ups drilling capacity

A brace of new front hopper options will give Kverneland drill owners the option of ramping up carrying capacity of seed and/or fertiliser. The smaller “Compact” F-drill will carry 1,600…

CEREAL DRILLS

KRM unveils Seed Ramp tine drill and Sola Aura front tank

A new combination of rear drilling unit and front-mounted hopper has broadened the range of sowing equipment offered by North Yorkshire importer KRM. Splitting the Seed Ramp frame and Sola…

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Test and reviews

CEREAL DRILLS

Direct drills revisited: Horsch Avatar 6.16 SD

Few farmers will have first-hand experience of quite as many direct drills as father-and-son team Lionel and Edward Shaw. Having got a taste for a low-till approach during a trip…

CEREAL DRILLS

Direct drills revisited: Novag TForcePlus 440 improves soil

Since we visited Andrew Tucker last year, he has put another autumn and spring season’s worth of work through the farm’s 4m Novag TForcePlus 440 drill. It has performed well…

CEREAL DRILLS

Direct drills revisited: Mzuri Pro-Til 3T out, Avatar in

The transition from multi-pass cultivations to a no-till system is all but complete at Gillshaw Farm, the final piece of the puzzle coming last summer with the switch from a…

CEREAL DRILLS

Direct drills revisited: New 6m Amazone Cayena replaces old

One Yorkshire business has been so content with the performance of its 2013 Amazone Cayena that it plumped for a like-for-like replacement when trading it in three seasons ago. The…

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Video

CEREAL DRILLS

Flexrow concept offers quick drill row width adjustment

A Swedish company has designed a drill toolbar that allows for quick adjustments of row spacing to suit particular crops and varieties. Landberg Solutions' Flexrow concept was trialled last year…

ARABLE

Video: Grower cuts fuel costs as new drill hits blackgrass

The need to slash soaring fuel costs while tackling blackgrass at the same time has led to a wholesale change in establishment system on one Leicestershire estate. Farming 1,130ha of…

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