Boom fert spreader- would this work ?

cousinjack

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
A lot of the big combines in the US are getting set up with these type of things for seeding covercrops at harvest, seems a good idea compared to wearing out the drill.

It's a shame your public are so averse to aircraft, no soil is too wet for a helicopter to fly things on! Generally how it's done down here, nothing is too steep or rough for the helicopter either (y)

Oh, I'd so love a helicopter!!! :giggle:
 

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
A lot of the big combines in the US are getting set up with these type of things for seeding covercrops at harvest, seems a good idea compared to wearing out the drill.

It's a shame your public are so averse to aircraft, no soil is too wet for a helicopter to fly things on! Generally how it's done down here, nothing is too steep or rough for the helicopter either (y)
Thats been done here too, with autocast on headers.

We bale all the straw, personally i think it would need a mulch of chopped straw spread ontop to get it going?

Will seeds germinate and get roots down just dropping them on bare ground?

I've tried and had poor results, just broadcasting seeds with no tillage. Stubble turnips and forage rape.

I know you find plenty, but a successful farmer once told me there's no shortcuts in farming!
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Thats been done here too, with autocast on headers.

We bale all the straw, personally i think it would need a mulch of chopped straw spread ontop to get it going?

Will seeds germinate and get roots down just dropping them on bare ground?

I've tried and had poor results, just broadcasting seeds with no tillage. Stubble turnips and forage rape.

I know you find plenty, but a successful farmer once told me there's no shortcuts in farming!
We broadcast a lot of seed in our trucks, an awful lot.... most all of it will still be dragged over, the local community has about a 30- foot drag that goes around. Probably between our 3 trucks we'd cover 800ha or so in the spring; mainly brassica but also pasture mixes and, lately ;) multispecies covercrops

Generally any misses with the drag = no brassicas, unless there is a decent amount of residue, but other seeds will strike and grow OK

The joys of living on an island full of birds, these greatly determine the fate of uncovered seeds and sprouts
 

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
We broadcast a lot of seed in our trucks, an awful lot.... most all of it will still be dragged over, the local community has about a 30- foot drag that goes around. Probably between our 3 trucks we'd cover 800ha or so in the spring; mainly brassica but also pasture mixes and, lately ;) multispecies covercrops

Generally any misses with the drag = no brassicas, unless there is a decent amount of residue, but other seeds will strike and grow OK

The joys of living on an island full of birds, these greatly determine the fate of uncovered seeds and sprouts
I found the problem with a drag harrow was it just blocked up with straw. This was where straw was baled.

This was using a einbock grass harrow, this is how i ended up just broadcasting it. Took the pressure right off tines and just scattered seed.

My main problem with growth this year has been compaction. Can see every wheelmark. Had great crops last year using exactly the same method. I could plough it, but see it as a opportunistic crop. Poaching would also be much worse.

I could buy a shortdisc or similar for creating a seedbed but think I'm better just using what I've got.
 
@cousinjack we updated the original design of the Horstine Cascade in recent years, now available in 24m, ISObus, 4 section, ASC, VRA among other things. Suitable for fertiliser, Avadex, small seed, slug pellets etc. If you'd like some more information please drop me a DM :)
Cascade-6786.jpgHorstine-6771.jpg
 

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Expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive offer for farmers published

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Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer from July will give the sector a clear path forward and boost farm business resilience.

From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The Rt Hon Sir Mark Spencer MP Published21 May 2024

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Full details of the expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer available to farmers from July have been published by the...
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