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OPICO
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Sabre Seeder at Cereals 2007 show |
The launch of the Sabre Seeder at the Cereals 2007 show marks a significant expansion of Till-Seeding and will apply the same principles that have proved so successful in oil seed rape.
The Sabre Seeder allows cultivating and seeding to take place at the same time. Furthermore, its versatility allows it to drill uncultivated land, or land partially or significantly cultivated. Where conditions require, it can also be used as a cultivator for creating stale seedbeds etc.
The major benefits of the single pass operation are savings in time, fuel and machinery wear, say OPICO. Plus, it allows farmers to create a smaller carbon footprint when producing crops.
The launch takes place after a huge amount of trial work in the UK and Europe over the past three years. Dozens of fields have been drilled in the UK on a number of farms with varying soil types.
The Seeder has been developed as an entirely new machine, using the proven HE-VA disc roller as the host unit. HE-VA have engineered the coulter tube around the disc roller arm and disc and have changed the press roller to suit drilling rather than cultivation/consolidation.
“The key fundamentals of drilling are to place the seed at a consistent depth, cover the seed and consolidate to obtain good soil to seed contact,” says OPICO managing director James Woolway.
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Sabre Seeder at Cereals 2007 show |
The Sabre Seeder does each of these as well, as or more accurately than, most other systems available, he claims. “So although we are doing less work to the soil we are achieving the essential requirements for good germination and growth.
“As a whole establishment system, using this drill reduces costs and achieves as good an establishment rate as comparable modern drills."
A major feature of the seeder is the Sabre disc coulter, which has been taken from the HE-VA disc roller. This allows the seed to be dropped at the bottom of the opening created by the Sabre disc coulter at a consistent depth and ensures it is covered, no matter what the conditions.
In common with the other drills in HE-VA’s range, the Sabre seeder also employs the proven Rauch metering system, which has been used for several decades in this country.
The range consists of 3m and 4m rigid units, and 4m, 4.8m and 6m hydraulic folding machines. Machines with working widths of 3m and 4.8m will be available for demonstration this year and the first units will be on sale in the UK this autumn for the 2008 season.
3m and 4.8m units will be on show at the Cereals 2007 show and a plot drilled by the Sabre Seeder will be available for viewing in the cereals 2007 show grounds.
Prices for the 3m and 4m rigid units are £24,729 and £26,806 respectively.
“With the advent of Total Till-Seeding Solutions and the launch of the Sabre Seeder we are now able to offer a complete Till-Seeding establishment system,” points out Mr Woolway.
“Many farmers have commented on the benefits of Subsoiler Till-Seeding in subsequent cereal crops where they have not needed as much cultivation to establish the crop, or cereal crops have been seen to benefit from a better soil structure.
“The Sabre Seeder is the ideal drill to follow Subsoiler Till-Seeded rape,” he says. “The integrated Till-Seeding System keeps establishment costs over the whole rotation down to a minimum whilst attending to the soil structure requirements of both the break crop and the cereal crops.”
Come and see OPICO at the Cereals 2007 show on stand 120.
Cereals 2007 show will take place at Vine Farm, Wendy, near Royston, Cambridgeshire on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th June.
Cereals 2007 show opening times
June 13/14
Wednesday 8am - 6pm Thursday 8am - 5pm
Click here for directions to the cereals 2007 show
Click here for the cereals 2007 show plan
Wed 13 -14 June |
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"Speak to the Expert" at Cereals 2007 - OPICO have been running Oilseed rape establishment trials with Masstock at their Brotherton Smart farm this year. Phillip Marr Masstock Arable's OSR specialist who has been running those trials will be on the OPICO stand at cereals 2007 to answer any and all of your questions about the Till-Seeding Technique and how it can help your farm save money and improve productivity.
Click to go to the CEREALS 2007 SHOW website.