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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

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.…

CULTIVATION AND DRILLING

Bespoke direct-drill set up to carry discs or subsoiler legs

Craig Peddie returned home to his family’s Fife farm in 2014 determined to pare down the intensive crop establishment regime to something that involved less soil movement, labour and machinery…

CEREAL DRILLS

Sulky goes high-tech with small combination drill

A major revamp of Sulky's compact combination drill line-up last year culminated in the unveiling of the Progress – a small, high-tech offering that has caught the eye of UK…

CEREAL DRILLS

Bespoke Stripcat drill expands companion cropping options

In their quest to improve soil health and better adapt to changeable conditions, Lincolnshire growers Matthew and Richard Fisher have invested in an elaborate custom-built strip-till drill. The impressive rig…

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Community

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…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

FW Inventions Comp 2022: Marcus Tucker's roller seeder

Marcus Tucker's roller seeder won third place in the complex category of our Farmers Weekly Inventions Competition 2022. Inspired by a stint working for a New Zealand contracting firm, Marcus…

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Insights

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…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct disc drill

For growers who prefer disc coulters for establishing new crops straight into arable stubbles or a green cover, there are plenty of options – including several newcomers – as this…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct tine drill 2022

There are a good few changes for this year’s Ultimate Guide to direct drills that use tine coulters to establish crops straight into stubbles. McConnel has dropped out of the…

CEREAL DRILLS

12 power-harrow combi drill options with 3m working width

Its ability to create a decent seed-bed in almost any soil conditions and cultivation regime has helped keep the venerable combination drill at the sharp end of manufacturers’ sales charts.…

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News

CEREAL DRILLS

ScotGrass: Erth adds extra hopper to Agriseeder drill

Northern Irish maker Erth Engineering has added a small secondary hopper option to its low-disturbance Agriseeder in an effort to make it more versatile. The company’s distributor, Hexham-based Dales Agri…

CEREAL DRILLS

New Vaderstad Proceed sows cereals, oilseeds and maize

Vaderstad has developed a new precision drill that can be adapted to accurately sow cereals, oilseeds, legumes, and maize. The semi-mounted Proceed uses several elements from Vaderstad’s established Tempo, which…

CEREAL DRILLS

Lamma 2022 preview: Claydon Evolution drills

Larger hoppers, and features making them easier to use, are highlights of the Evolution drills that will replace the current mounted Hybrid models next year after their unveiling at the…

CEREAL DRILLS

Trailed Solitair DT to join Lemken drill range

Lemken is to replace its Compact Solitair combination drills with a more versatile and lighter-weight DT range. These will initially be available in 4m and 6m widths when production begins…

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Test and reviews

CEREAL DRILLS

Contractor rates his simple Yorkshire-built combi disc drill

Armed with a row of soil-loosening legs, a power harrow and a set of Vaderstad disc coulters, the Combi-Plus drill from Bramleys Seed Establishment offers plenty of options for getting…

CEREAL DRILLS

Driver's view: James Grandy's Amazone drill

Yorkshire farmer James Grandy runs through the good and bad points of his Amazone Cayena drill and how it has slotted into his establishment system. What drill are you using?…

CEREAL DRILLS

Driver's view: Matt Lewis’ Mzuri Pro-Til 3m drill

Farm foreman Matt Lewis talks about the Mzuri Pro-Til drill that he has owned for three years. Its purchase bought about a change in the farm's crop establishment system, which…

CEREAL DRILLS

Driver’s View: Jean-Baptiste Bady’s Claydon Hybrid 3m

Estate manager Jean-Baptiste Bady and farm manager Callum Orr, who run an arable operation at the world’s most northerly castle on the small central island of Shapinsay, Orkney, have picked…

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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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