Modern grain drills support conventional and no-till soil conditions for usage in growing crops, renovating pastures, establishing wildlife habitats, and other applications.
Read More (About Grain Drills)Grain drills, sometimes referred to as “seed drills” and related to air drills, enable growers to plant seed across multiple rows at consistent depths and spacing intervals. A grain drill includes one or more V-shaped disc openers, or “V” openers, to create a furrow for the seed, and seeds from the hopper are inserted into the furrow through a seed tube. Metering systems help regulate seed flow, and at the back end of the machine there are press wheels to compact and firm up the soil.
Grain drills are available for soil, partial-till, and no-till conditions. The latter helps preserve moisture and combat soil erosion. These ag machines can plant cereal crops as well as cover crops, which are planted in an effort to renovate pastures, establish wildlife habitats, and assist other conservation efforts. Because grain drills plant seed at precise depths and intervals, their use often results in much higher germination rates and crop yields.
In early farming practices, seed was broadcast by hand, which often led to wasted seed. The earliest known seeding tools, dating to 1500 B.C. Babylon and into the second-century China, were single- or multi-tube seed drills. In 1701, English farmer Jethro Tull invented a horse-drawn mechanical seed drill that dramatically improved yields. Tull’s drill employed a front-located plough to create a furrow, a slotted rotating cylinder that moved seed from a hopper, and a back-located harrow that covered the seed.
Grain drill features can include down-pressure adjustment options and multiple seed box support for planting multiple crops simultaneously. There are also grain drills with multiple or divided hoppers, and sometimes smaller seed boxes that are used to plant native grasses. Depending on the hopper arrangement, a grain drill may support planting just one seed or multiple seeds, or seed and fertiliser simultaneously.
You’ll find hundreds of listings for new and used planting equipment for sale on FarmandPlant.ie, including a selection of grain drills. These include models from leading manufacturers and brands such as Amazone, KRM, Moore, Nordsten, Sulky, and Väderstad.