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 2024

Consolidation is the theme for this year’s Ultimate Guide to trailed combination cultivator drills – not in the soil-firming sense, but rather in the way manufacturers are sticking to tried-and-tested…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct tine drill 2024

Two drill ranges from New Zealand – Aitchison and Duncan – and Kverneland make their debut in this year’s Ultimate Guide to tine coulter no-till drills. As usual, the guide…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct disc drill 2024

Three new drill listings and additional models for existing ranges feature in the 2023 edition of Farmers Weekly’s Ultimate Guide to disc coulter no-till drills. New Zealand manufacturer Duncan appears…

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 –…

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News

CEREAL DRILLS

Bednar enters strip-till drill market with Matador MO

Czech outfit Bednar is branching into the strip-till seeding sector with a new drill. The Matador MO 6000 is a 6m-wide trailed implement with individual pressurised hoppers for seed and…

CEREAL DRILLS

Kuhn expands Sitera power harrow-mounted drill range

A further option in Kuhn’s already comprehensive range of Sitera mechanical “piggy-back” seed drills is the new 3m 100 series. It comes with a 600-litre full-width seed box and a…

CEREAL DRILLS

Pottinger pairs big Terradiscs with tractor-mounted hopper

High-output shallow cultivation and cover crop seeding is one of the likeliest applications for Pottinger’s latest implement combination – the large trailed Terradisc cultivator and Amico F tractor-mounted hopper. The…

CEREAL DRILLS

Horizon develops lightweight M-spec DSX no-till drill

Horizon Agriculture has put its DSX no-till disc drill on a serious diet, creating a lightweight version that’s suited to smaller farms. Coulters on the M:DSX are the same undercut…

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Test and reviews

CEREAL DRILLS

Driver’s view: Claydon Evolution big improvement over Hybrid

Three years after investing in a 3m Claydon Hybrid to speed up crop establishment, Thomas Langley had picked up sufficient extra contracting work to find himself on the back foot…

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…

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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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