Machinery
Plenty of choice under the sustainable banner This year’s Groundswell event proved popular, and exhibitors reported that although visitor numbers were moderate, those who came were keen to find out about the latest machinery to improve soils, drill and incorporate cover crops, and establish main crops using reduced cultivation techniques. David Williams reports. New mounted disc option The J.J. Metcalfe & Son display featured a new Sow & Hoe seed coulter, designed to cut off weeds and bring the roots to the surface to dry out, while placing a 12mm band of cover crop seed at the rear. The one-pass establishment tool was designed primarily for vineyard use, although it has applications for UK organic farms too. Also displayed for the first time at the event was a mounted disc option to suit Horsch Sprinter and CO drills. Designed to cut through trash, and reduce surface disturbance by the following coulters, the discs cost £250–300 per unit including the mounting. Mike Metcalfe is pictured with the new discs on the stand.
Perfect seed placement
Multiple applications Garford managing director Jonathan Henry said that demand for mechanical inter-row weeders is growing as farmers seek to reduce dependence on herbicides. “Tighter regulatory control is a factor and growers are keen to protect future use of actives we have currently available through the use of blended control systems, where a mix of chemical and mechanical weed control is utilised. “Our guided toolbars are extremely versatile, and up to 20 per cent of those we supply are equipped to perform at least two functions, such as applying fertiliser or performing spray chemical applications while hoeing the crop,” he explained. Jonathan said that the question asked of his team most frequently during the show was whether the inter-row hoes would work in cereals – highlighting growing demand from farmers for large-scale mechanical weed control.
Pictured (l-r) Mark Rumble, Jonathan Henry, Alice Baxter (who is working her third year in the Garford factory as an apprentice engineer), and Allan Knight.
Preaching to the converted
Checking the performance of a Weaving GD3000M drill are (l-r) Simon Weaving, Mike Lane, Tricia Cullimore of NIAB, and Tim Camps of S Camps & Sons – farmers based at Abington, Cambs.
Considerable interest in the Dale Eco drill was reported by directors James (left) and Tom Dale. “This was a show where we knew we were preaching to the converted,” explained Tom. “However, we offer tine drills where many of our competitors feature disc coulters, and the tines mean we can operate with a lower drill weight as tines penetrate hard ground more effectively. We use narrow tines which are easy to pull, and we can offer a wide range of specification options. The drills are easily set up and adapted for establishing companion or cover crops and most of the hoppers we supply are split allowing multiple products to be placed. Row spacing is adjustable too, and up to 75cm is possible,” he added. Dale also displayed the Meir low disturbance subsoiler which is designed to achieve thorough soil loosening while minimising movement on the surface. Dale Drills’ own leg and point design is used and there are various packer options.
Dealer and manufacturer teams kept busy Opico product demonstrator Tom Brooks, Opico Sky product manager Glenn Bootman and local dealer Chandlers area sales manager based at the Barnack depot Craig Footman are pictured (l-r) with the Sky Agriculture Easy Drill at the event.
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