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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

Farmer combines Karat and Solitair for one-pass bean drill

It’s a Lemken drill, but not as you know it. The perfectly colour-matched Kinair, named after Craig and Claire Grant’s Kindrought Farm and the Solitair seeder on which it is…

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…

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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 2025

There are just a few changes to our Ultimate Guide to versatile trailed drills that deploy discs, tines or a power harrow to complete seed-bed preparation ahead of a bank…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct tine drill 2025

New drills, and all-new drill ranges, are among the headlines for this year’s Ultimate Guide to direct drills sporting tine coulters. Bramleys Seed Establishment and Grange Machinery feature as seeder…

CEREAL DRILLS

Ultimate Guide to buying a direct disc drill 2025

The most noticeable absentee in this year’s Ultimate Guide to direct drills with disc coulters is surely the Cross Slot seeder, built in the UK in recent years using original…

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News

CEREAL DRILLS

Kuhn launches 2,360-litre seed-and-fert front tank

Kuhn is the latest implement maker to extend its range of front tanks as demand soars for toolbar-based drills that separate the hopper from the main coulter frame. At 2,360…

CEREAL DRILLS

One-pass Katara combination drill added to Bednar line-up

The already comprehensive seed drill portfolio developed by Czech manufacturer Bednar is being further expanded with a new one-pass drilling combination. Based on the company’s Kator KN rotary power harrow…

CEREAL DRILLS

Lemken revamps Solitair MR piggy-back seed drill

The complexity of different cropping practices – such as undersowing, companion cropping, cover crops, and so on – is catered for by the latest version of Lemken’s Solitair MR piggy-back…

CEREAL DRILLS

Horsch expands Partner FT range with triple hopper tank

Front tanks for working with seed drills, planters and cultivators are all the rage just now – and Horsch has added to its singular Partner 1.6 FT with larger-capacity models…

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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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