The benefits of seed drills and direct drilling

November 09 2016

At Claydon Drills, we are farmers and experts in the farming industry and know exactly what needs to be done to ensure the most efficient results. Direct drilling and strip tillage are systems that offer a wide variety of benefits, not only to the farmers who use our seed drills but also to the world around us.

With the autumn season coming to a close, it’s now one of the best times to be looking at the machinery to plant next years crop. Spring and autumn provide optimum temperatures and conditions for seed development – there’s just the right amount of moisture before the colder and wetter season of winter hits.

Want to find out more about the benefits of seed drills and direct drilling? Let us tell you more…

benefits of seed drills

It saves you time

Farming is a busy industry all year round, no matter where you are based, however with the importance of planting your crop’s seeds at the optimum time; autumn is no doubt one of the busiest times.

The beauty of direct drilling and strip-tilling is that it makes crop establishment a lot quicker than traditional systems and methods because it combines the job of soil preparation with the distribution of seeds. This means that more can be done in far less time, freeing up hours in the day for workers to concentrate on other jobs and allowing as much root growth as possible before winter sets in with our unique system.

Farmers not only benefit from the speed of the machinery, but also its high level of accuracy when it comes to seed placement. Our seed drills, direct drilling and strip tillage are an incredibly efficient choice.

It works well in Challenging Conditions

No matter how challenging the spring and autumn season, seed placement with our seed drills can be achieved whilst others fail, even when conditions aren’t at their best. Wet weather can be particularly difficult to cater for but Claydon seed drills use a system that has reduced risk of the blockages formed by wet soil – a common problem in more traditional drill designs.

Due to it being a fast method of crop establishment, direct drills and strip till drills can still present the best results even when used towards the latter part of the optimum times. They are designed to enhance the growth and strength of roots by creating enough space and a drainage tract for the roots to grow deep into the soil with optimum disturbance necessary to achieve the best result, whatever the time of year.

benefits of seed drills

It’s cost-effective

The efficiency and higher work rate of direct drilling and strip tillage bring the benefit of lower cost, in terms of both labour and machinery. The high level of accuracy brought by direct drilling and strip tillage means less soil damage and less wasted resources, resulting in lower costs.

By using the quicker and more efficient systems of direct drilling and strip tillage also means they don’t suffer the same wear and tear of the more traditional plough-based and min-till crop establishment systems. So, not only do you save on maintenance costs, both long-term and short-term, but also on the costs it takes to run the machinery, which leads us on to our next point…

It benefits the environment

The efficiency of our seed drills not only benefits those that use them, but also the environment due to their lower energy inputs and the fact that fewer resources are used (or wasted) in the process.

The system is also designed to preserve the soil as best possible. Our leading tines have positive effects on the root and crop growth for the farmers, and also promotes the ideal circumstances for the beneficial habitation of invertebrates and earthworms. In short, it’s great for the soil and it’s great for roots and overall, much better for the environment than more traditional systems.

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It gets you the best results

As if the benefits we’ve already mentioned weren’t enough, direct drilling sees the very best results for crops too.

With the system’s optimal soil disturbance as well as its accurate and consistent distribution of seeds, farmers benefit from enhanced root growth and development, with no problems of overcrowding or nutrients-shortage. The system also reduces the risk of issues like capping, leaching and compacting which are common with more traditional designs.

Combining its efficiency, its accuracy and its money-saving ability, direct drilling / strip tilling promotes stronger and happier crop… and farmers!