SimTech Aitchison Drills

[db1210]

Can we get a grant in england to buy a new one?

 

[neilo]

Can we get a grant in england to buy a new one?

Not currently, as far as I know. It's on the list of eligible items on the Welsh Farm Business Grant (there's a thread on that scheme in the 'subs' forum).

Before anyone says about the Welsh getting lots of grant money, there's been very little since I moved here in 2012, but several schemes in England.

I know where there's a very good one that's just been run in.......

 

[Dman2]

Can we get a grant in england to buy a new one?

Yes
Leader grants available for Direct Drills

 

[E_B]

Yes
Leader grants available for Direct Drills

Of course, the majority of users on here are too principled to even consider utilising a grant scheme to enable the purchase of direct drill...

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index...-of-a-new-direct-drill-be-grant-funded.49842/

I just wish the scheme was available when I bought mine a couple of years ago, even though I was happy with the deal at the time. There will be alot of farmers who use this to buy drills even if they don't use it entirely (or much at all) in a direct drilling scenario, even if the genuine no-tillers of the forum are too proud to apply. Already seen Cross Slots bought this way.

 

[Dman2]

Yeah but I am from a deprived area
So I will take whatever is out there

 

[dorsetcherry]

Our new 3m drill is on the stand at Lamma this year. I agree with all the comments above. We hang a teagle duo flail topper on the front of our 115A as "active" weight rather than dead weight and drill into all types of cover crop. The plough, then 6m discs, cultivator and varistad rapid are now rusting at the back of the shed! 3m drill width also allows us to use RTK drilling accurately into the same slots over and over. suddenly the cost of production of 1 tonne of wheat has dropped drastically without much yield penalty. Hiring a T7 this season which can also pop down to contract drill for neighbours without being removed too..

 

[dorsetcherry]

also thanks Jim for publishing the drill picture in the arable magazine. KISS ( Keep It Simple Stupid that is!!) sold it to me!!

 

[neilo]

The damned things are breeding....

 

[dorsetcherry]

you could front mount her to save cross drilling grass!! I will put mine up once LAMMA finishes. lovely drill!!!

 

[hendrebc]

The damned things are breeding....

View attachment 617766

Keep breeding them we can all have one then

 

[neilo]

Keep breeding them we can all have one then

I was wondering, to grow a crop of Direct Drills, would it be acceptable to plough and cultivate to ensure good establishment?

 

[Philip Hedeng]

I'm seeking experience of T-Sem in two situations

1. DD spring crops, preferably in sub-optimal conditions and after wet winters... guess our weather.
2. DD winter OSR, both into grass ley and cereal stubble.

Also, anyone tried a front hopper for fertilizer placement or extra seed capacity with the T-Sem?

 

[Bury the Trash]

Similar weather then, to ours sounds like...

@Simon C

 

[neilo]

I'm seeking experience of T-Sem in two situations

1. DD spring crops, preferably in sub-optimal conditions and after wet winters... guess our weather.
2. DD winter OSR, both into grass ley and cereal stubble.

Also, anyone tried a front hopper for fertilizer placement or extra seed capacity with the T-Sem?

I have a T-Sem and I grow Spring Barley after root crops grazed with sheep. I only drill after the soil is warm, so that the crop hits the ground running. However, I’m not convinced that DD is the best way to establish that crop. I always min-til after the sheep move on, to break surface compaction and let some air into the soil to help warm it.

You’ll now get several on to say how DD would be fine in that scenario, so i’ll Fetch my popcorn.....

 

[Bury the Trash]

I have a T-Sem and I grow Spring Barley after root crops grazed with sheep. I only drill after the soil is warm, so that the crop hits the ground running. However, I’m not convinced that DD is the best way to establish that crop. I always min-til after the sheep move on, to break surface compaction and let some air into the soil to help warm it.

You’ll now get several on to say how DD would be fine in that scenario, so i’ll Fetch my popcorn.....

It will be fine .......

 

[Sprayer 1]

I found out to my cost this Autumn that if conditions are not dry enough for the soil to crumble on clay ground,, you best leave the seed in the bag. If it is sticky , mud will build up in the spring roller which can compact very quickly. When you have spent half an hour trying to free it you are careful not to let it happen again. As neilo says, in the spring be patient and leave it until the conditions are as close to ideal, then it is a great machine and does just what it says in the advert. Any seed into any surface.

 

[Deere 6430]

They have their limitations in some conditions.

 

[Philip Hedeng]

By the way, it's raining again. Well, snowing..

@neilo I take your word that there are issues following root crops, but we don't grow any.

I don't know what ideal conditions are, but as long as tyres have good grip and won't smear or stick much mud on them, I pretty much need to be out there. It's been a few years since we got anything like a "good spring drilling season" with long periods of stable weather. It's more often only a couple of days at the time where soil dries enough to do DD or any other operation for that matter. I don't know where that puts me on your ideal conditions scale, @Sprayer 1 ? We look to extend our drilling window by adding a cheap addition to our double disc drill. It works fine in dry seasons and pretty well daytime in spring too, but when the days are short.

 

[neilo]

I found out to my cost this Autumn that if conditions are not dry enough for the soil to crumble on clay ground,, you best leave the seed in the bag. If it is sticky , mud will build up in the spring roller which can compact very quickly. When you have spent half an hour trying to free it you are careful not to let it happen again. As neilo says, in the spring be patient and leave it until the conditions are as close to ideal, then it is a great machine and does just what it says in the advert. Any seed into any surface.

I've got to admit that's not something I've ever experienced with mine, not yet anyway.

 

[neilo]

By the way, it's raining again. Well, snowing..

@neilo I take your word that there are issues following root crops, but we don't grow any.

I don't know what ideal conditions are, but as long as tyres have good grip and won't smear or stick much mud on them, I pretty much need to be out there. It's been a few years since we got anything like a "good spring drilling season" with long periods of stable weather. It's more often only a couple of days at the time where soil dries enough to do DD or any other operation for that matter. I don't know where that puts me on your ideal conditions scale, @Sprayer 1 ? We look to extend our drilling window by adding a cheap addition to our double disc drill. It works fine in dry seasons and pretty well daytime in spring too, but when the days are short.

Grazing root crops with sheep over the winter is always going to cap the surface to an inch or two. Where we have grazed swedes and DD'ed grass afterwards, that cap has been sufficiently broken by the weather to go straight in. A light cultivation just speeds up that drying/warming IME.