Driving impression: Claydon Hybrid drill Suffolk-based Claydon is set to unveil a new drill at the LAMMA show in January. Wider widths are now possible, and trash clearance is said to be significantly improved. Nick Fone tried out a prototype machine earlier this year
It’s a drum that has been banged many times before, but those protagonists of direct drilling do have a point. Sowing seed directly into stubble can seriously slash crop establishment costs.
Admittedly, and contrary to the rantings of true hard-core converts, the technique isn’t necessarily right for all conditions, but it could still have an increasing part to play if the current commodity price volatility continues and inputs costs maintain their upward spiral.
Bottom line: If arable growers’ margins are squeezed yet further, then low-cost crop establishment could be the way to go. That’s the belief of Jeff Claydon, the man who brought us the Claydon Yield-O-Meter and Furrow-Cracker.
Seven years ago Mr Claydon was trying to solve the dilemma that so many other growers were facing at the time: How could he continue to farm the family’s 480ha profitably with cereal prices on their knees?
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