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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

Gloucs farm commissions custom 6m Weaving combi drill

Seven years ago, Cotswold growers Alex and Andrew Bullock embarked on an organic conversion that would call for a complete overhaul of their establishment system. Losing the ability to clobber…

CEREAL DRILLS

Fabricator assembles Avadex applicator for Horsch Avatar

After years of honing his workshop skills at a machinery dealership and agricultural engineering firm, Stuart Gallop branched out on his own. The Gloucestershire native now tackles a broad range…

CEREAL DRILLS

Home-made toolbar drill adds versatility to fleet

Whether conditions are wet, dry or Goldilocks-perfect, Warwickshire farmer and contractor Lawrence Trivett has a drill to fit the bill. Stung by several soggy autumns in succession, he has been…

CEREAL DRILLS

Bolt-on kit adds compost teas and nutrients during drilling

Since moving to his North Yorkshire arable farm two-and-a-half years ago, Matt Emmett has been on a quest to breathe new life into its light-bodied soils. Prior to his arrival,…

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Community

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2025: Richard Darling’s low-disturbance drill

Richard Darling won third place in our complex category. With wet weather proving to be kryptonite for Green End Farm’s Horsch Sprinter, he decided to build an insurance policy. Previous…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2025: Craig Grant’s Kinair bean and OSR drill

Aberdeenshire farmer Craig Grant is our complex category runner-up. He built a 3m bean drill after committing to incorporating more home-grown protein into his hens' ration. Rather than start from…

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…

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Insights

CEREAL DRILLS

Landwrx develops Varia for drilling, weeding and undersowing

A small Herefordshire firm has developed a cereal drill that can also be used as an inter-row weeder and undersowing rig. The Landwrx Varia is the brainchild of ex-Mzuri design…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct disc drill 2026

Buyers shopping for disc coulter-type direct drills next year will find there’s more choice than ever, with manufacturers adding a ruck of extra width and row options. And, for the…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct tine drill 2026

There is a ruck of new models in this year's guide to tine-based direct drills, with eight manufacturers introducing new or heavily revamped machines. See also: Ultimate Guide to buying…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a trailed combination drill 2026

Amazone, Lemken and Maschio Gaspardo lay claim to the most notable changes in this year's buyer's guide to trailed combination drills. These implements pair disc coulters with a cultivation element…

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News

CEREAL DRILLS

Stocks Ag develops new metering roller for seed mixes

The challenge of accurately metering seed mixes that are increasingly varied in terms of seed size and shape has been taken up by Stocks Ag with a new design of…

CEREAL DRILLS

Sky Agri creates dry-soil seeder from precision cultivator

Sky Agriculture has created a new tine seeder for sowing into stony and very dry soils by equipping its Methys PCS cultivator with a seed distribution system and new slimline…

CEREAL DRILLS

Simtech TJG-300 tine direct drill gains bigger hopper

Growers who want a compact direct drill but have the tractor linkage capacity to lift a sizeable hopper and its contents are being catered for by Opico’s latest Simtech T-Sem…

CEREAL DRILLS

Improved power harrow for Centauro combi drill

The host power harrow on one of Maschio Gaspardo’s highest-output seed drill combinations has been given new bearing assemblies with improved sealing to extend their service life. This update is…

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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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