BCG is hosting a seeder demonstration day next Friday 12 April, 9am to 1pm at its main research site on the Sunraysia Highway, nine kilometres west of Birchip.
Funded through a four-year GRDC investment studying ways to optimise plant establishment, density and spacings to maximise crop yield and profit, the purpose of the seeder demonstration day is to compare the performance of commercially available conventional seeders and precision planters in establishing canola at two sowing rates.
Six seeders will be operating at the event and will provide growers, agronomists and the wider grains industry an opportunity to inspect the performance of tyne, disc and precision planters for seed placement, trash flow and the potential savings in efficiency and costs.
BCG research and extension officer, Genevieve Clarke, said that a replicated trial will be sown using all six machines which aims to assess the performance of each machine at establishing canola sown at a standard grower rate compared to a lower seeding rate.
The six seeders include a Horsch Maestro disc precision planter with new pneumatic exact grain singulation facilitated by a unique disc-based metering system (as opposed to traditional holes) with grooves that open to the outside.
Boort-based precision planter company, Spot On Ag, will bring a disc demo machine with liquid fertiliser application below the seed. The Spot On Ag machine is fitted with Vset2., featuring a flat disc with a single vac setting, releasing seeds down the centre of the tube which is critical to optimum spacing.
In addition, four farmers are bringing their seeders and will participate in the event, bringing further relevance to the trial. Birchip farmers Tim McClelland and Linc Lehmann will include their seeders in the demonstration.
Mr. McClelland has recently purchased a 60 feet Horsch Sprinter Cultivator with 10-inch spacings and 20-inch Ripple coulter blades. The points are Primary Sales Adapt T Seeding System with five stage increment point adjuster with 76mm point to boot height flexibility and five increment boot adjusters with 66mm of flexibility. The Horsh SW2100 SD three bin air cart has twin fans mounted with a Wonderweld load-unload conveyor, it also has variable rate compatibility.
Mr. Lehman will sow canola with his Horwood Bagshaw Scaribar with tynes with coulters which is set-up on 15-inch row spacings. Mr Lehmanm’s seeder comprises further modifications to suit his CTF farming system including liquid and granular fertiliser capability.
The host site farmers, Lachlan and Andrew Barber, will include their Flexicoil 810 conventional air seeder with tynes, set-up on 12-inch spacings and places fertiliser with the seed.
Coffey Contracting principal, Dan Coffey, will use his 60 feet Morris RAZR with discs. The Morris RAZR is renowned for slicing through crop residue, opens-up and and forms an even seed furrow, positive closing and packing for excellent seed to soil contact.
The event is funded through the GRDC ‘Optimising plant establishment, density and spacings to maximise crop yield and profit in the southern and western regions’ project.
The event will begin at 9am and concludes with a free lunch at 1pm. It will be held at the BCG main research site, 9km west of Birchip on the Sunraysia Highway. For more information and to RSVP for catering purposes phone the BCG office on 03 5492 2787.
