Well, despite my campaign for the purchase of direct drills to be grant funded due to environmental reasons falling on deaf ears (http://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index....-of-a-new-direct-drill-be-grant-funded.49842/), we have taken the plunge and bought a direct drill. The usual reasons apply, a desire to increase soil structure and organic matter along with the workability and timeliness of our heavy land, a desire to reduce establishment costs (I know that will have some of the purists hissing) as well as just a general interest in this method of farming.
I thought it would be fun if I describe the scenario that we will be using the drill in and then people can guess, or suggest, which drill they think is most suitable and then see how it stacks up to what we purchased. We spent a lot of time considering and demoing drills so we obviously feel we have gone for the best option to us. We are primarily a dairy farm but with some arable, acreage is modest compared to some of the arable barons on here so the drill is not particularly wide, but we have a couple of fair sized tractors to utilise. We already have a 6m Kverneland TS EVO so this will be in addition.
The drill will be used on a very heavy block of land where we hope to use a purely direct rotation of grass, wheat, beans, wheat. Straw removed.
The drill will also be used in alternate years with the plough in some fields where we have a wheat, oats repeated rotation going on. Agronomically that may not be ideal, although the oats is a break for take-all, but as we are dairy we need all the straw we can get. So obviously straw removed. We plough before the oats, as wheat volunteers cannot be controlled in oats, which we sell.
The drill may also end up being used in a maize, oats or maize, wheat rotation on light land. With perhaps a cover between the cereal being harvested and baled and the maize going in.
So we need a drill that can be used in this situation. In wet harvests and Autumns, we will not be adverse to using the plough and mauling some oats or wheat in as a fall back option, although on the heavy block I hope this doesn't occur for obvious reasons. If it is too wet to put beans in then spring beans will be considered.
So what's it going to be? Hope the poll works. Apologies for any missed out, I'd be here all day otherwise...
I thought it would be fun if I describe the scenario that we will be using the drill in and then people can guess, or suggest, which drill they think is most suitable and then see how it stacks up to what we purchased. We spent a lot of time considering and demoing drills so we obviously feel we have gone for the best option to us. We are primarily a dairy farm but with some arable, acreage is modest compared to some of the arable barons on here so the drill is not particularly wide, but we have a couple of fair sized tractors to utilise. We already have a 6m Kverneland TS EVO so this will be in addition.
The drill will be used on a very heavy block of land where we hope to use a purely direct rotation of grass, wheat, beans, wheat. Straw removed.
The drill will also be used in alternate years with the plough in some fields where we have a wheat, oats repeated rotation going on. Agronomically that may not be ideal, although the oats is a break for take-all, but as we are dairy we need all the straw we can get. So obviously straw removed. We plough before the oats, as wheat volunteers cannot be controlled in oats, which we sell.
The drill may also end up being used in a maize, oats or maize, wheat rotation on light land. With perhaps a cover between the cereal being harvested and baled and the maize going in.
So we need a drill that can be used in this situation. In wet harvests and Autumns, we will not be adverse to using the plough and mauling some oats or wheat in as a fall back option, although on the heavy block I hope this doesn't occur for obvious reasons. If it is too wet to put beans in then spring beans will be considered.
So what's it going to be? Hope the poll works. Apologies for any missed out, I'd be here all day otherwise...
