Direct drills revisited: Ma/Ag SSP proves cost-effective

John Mair had not long taken delivery of a 6m Ma/Ag SSP from dealer Ryetec when Farmers Weekly caught up with him in 2018, having replaced a 4m version he had been using since 2013.

Over the past five seasons it has required only one new set of discs and the odd bearing, with no issues for major components such as the hydraulics, fan and metering system.

This has provided the business with a cost-effective crop establishment system for its main cash crops of winter wheat, spring barley and spring oats, plus its cover crops for sheep fodder.

See also: Driver’s view: John Mair’s Ma/Ag SSP drill

The drill does a great job of getting seed in the right place for rapid and even emergence, says John, but its press wheels and scraper system pose some headaches when conditions are damp.

It means patience is required to get going again after rain, but once a crust has formed on the soil surface, it deals well with trash from chopped straw or green cover.

John tries to avoid any soil disturbance but has invested in an Amazone disc cultivator to help stimulate a weed chit faster than if left untouched, and to take out any surface compaction created by sheep grazing of cover crops.

John Mair © Adam Clarke

Other options

While he is not planning an immediate change, John likes the look of the direct drill from Spanish maker Virkar, which he feels might suit his ever-developing farm system slightly better.

The Virkar offers what first attracted him to the Ma/Ag, which is individual coulter pressure and depth control to allow deeper work behind the tracks of the MT 765B Challenger that pulls the drill.

It also has a steering axle that would ease turning the front tank/tractor/drill combination on headlands, and the coulter system has a leading vertical disc ahead of a tine.

This hybrid approach would help in trashy conditions and when drilling straight into cover crops, potentially reducing the need for raking or surface cultivation in those situations.

“We will certainly have a look at it alongside the Ma/Ag when the time comes to replace it, but overall, we’ve been very happy with the current setup,” he says.