That year there was no difference in the overall yield in the 2 fields despite the combi drilled looking thicker.

​@@everythingisgreenknowe5094thank you so much! What happened other years? do you have a statistic on which technique is most productive and how much?

@giuliodesimone2709 I suppose the fact I direct drill everything now almost answers your question. I am getting the same or better yields with DD but they do still vary depending on the weather.

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 Thankyou! yes it is the answer, I think I will switch to DD too.

We are good thanks. Sorry not posted on KZbin for a while but I am on other socials. This area fared a lot better than many in the UK so this harvest so far hasn't been a disaster but hasn't been one with good yields so far.

I am also on other social media if you are on them. I will try and do another video once the autumn sowing is done. Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. Sorry you had a difficult harvest.

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 Could you please upload some links to your other platforms? Thanks Neil👍🏻

@stephenriddell2951 Instagram and twitter @Everything_is_Greenknowe

Thanks Matthew, it's 3 harvests in now and going really well. A great buy.

Yes Niels, we had 11mm 2 days ago and another 5mm today. Not much but enough to keep things going.

Thanks Guthrie, I'm really pleased with the crop so far. It is very even across the very variable soil types.

I don't find it expensive to run. It is a one pass system so you are already saving on plough metal, power harrow tines and drill spares.

That’s very true , The work looks perfect with this drill , sumo dts is similar with independent coulters ! Is brackling barley at harvest time a problem with wide spacing coulters ? Heads tend to go to d ground easy?

@John Flavin if you have a variety prone to brackling then it has more room to go down but I think mzuri does now make a 7inch coulter making the rows more evenly spaced if that what you want.

Any issues metering dusty compound fertiliser ? Sumo dts has issues at times with this

@John Flavin never had any issues with fertiliser.

The Mzuri sown winter barley yield was as good as the ploughed ground so this year it is all direct drilled with the mzuri.

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 do you have even the Xzact kit? for corn and sunflower?

@sweetboyro no I don't have the exact kit as I don't do maize but I have sown many different crops with the standard kit.

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 does it worth buying it? because i`m thinking about buying one , but i`m not sure that does the job right...

@sweetboyro I have had a Mzuri since 2015 and I haven't regretted it. Crops have been really good and my soils have improved in that time. It also vastly reduces my carbon footprint which is very important.

Thanks Niels, yes it is great. I find that if I do pick up a stone it has been caught in the space at the bottom of the middle belt but maybe I've just been lucky. It was sown with the mzuri onto rolled ploughed ground as it followed wheat.

Hello Niels, glad to hear your winter crops are good. Its difficult to advise from another country but, if you wait in spring will your ground eventually dry enough? We usually think around 2 weeks later in the spring compared to tilled or ploughed ground. Have you tried different depths with the leading leg and coulters? It can be trial and error. I only have cereals and pulses, no livestock but friends who have pigs have had a terrible time. Thanks for your concern.

Thanks Cammie, it does stand out!

Thanks Niels, we are really pleased with it so far. The crop flow is excellent and the tracks give a smooth ride and keel the header level.

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 Once I had a claas Commander 228 and we put it on Terra Tires (110 cm) . I guess it made at least 25% performance due to smother header leveling and lower roling resistence. Tracs are even much better..., especially while cutting the headlines cross the tramlines.

Thanks Olly same to you. Thanks for the tip on the hot keys.

The crop flow is really impressive, looking forward to cutting the rape.

Really good, seed, fertiliser and pellets in one pass. I usually run the front leg deeper for the osr to aid rooting.

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 Thank you for your response. How do you proceed with the Mzuri and the (old) tramlines, which are usually overrun almost 20 times per growing season? I am asking because I am thinking of integrating a Mzuri in my cultivation system.

@@nielsandresen907 I run the front leg deeper in the osr at around 6 inches and that seems to remove the compaction or sow at an angle 45° and use the original tramlines again if possible.

Thanks Hagen. Appreciate the feedback.

Thanks Niels, we had a very cold wet May too but crops have recovered now things have warmed up. I do think that direct drilling barley does work if you can get good establishment, i have had some excellent spring barley crops but as you point out winter barley is more difficult. I have videos of spring crops from this week to go up soon , hope you enjoy them.

Thanks Michael, I will try and put a video up at harvest. I have more videos going up very soon in other crops.

Thanks for the reply Niels, I was thinking of bringing my sowing date forward a week or 10 days. I have had good winter barley yields with the Mzuri system but just not as consistent.

Thank you Muhyietin, hopefully get more videos up when the weather improves.

Really sorry Douglas for not sending my reply. We are in the South East of Scotland and you are correct it is a Thorburns shed in the video. I put it up in 2012 to handle my short stored grain, Thorburns made a great job and I don't know how I did without it for so long.

Thank you Hagen. I chose the Mzuri for a few reasons. It has a leading tilling leg and consolidation wheel which I felt I needed on my heavier ground, the coulters are all independent keeping even depth and it is well made with great backup.

Yea looks like 1 of the few machines that can deal with compaction. Like to see more videos!

@@hagenwhyte69hw thanks, what would you like to see?

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 some information about yield (know its a bad year) in comparison to plough system and time fuel savings and so on.. Thanks 👍

I did reply to your question around 11 months ago Landshark so sorry if you never saw it. I still plough around 15-20% of my ground if the winter barley follows wheat, if I have repaired drainage in the fields over the winter and if we follow potatoes on the contract ground. On ploughed ground now i would use the Mzuri saving power harrowing and allowing me to variable rate seed and place fertiliser.

Thanks G. Whyte. I have found yields increased or at least stayed the same. Winter barley I still struggle to establish with it. I have a 234D in front which is more than I need. I think 60hp per meter is a realistic hp if you are running the front leg at 7 or 8 inches on heavy ground or tight soil. I dont really struggle for traction but I do try any go when the top layer is dry. There are other good drills but the Mzuri does till the strip thoroughly and reconsolidate with the tyre ahead of the coulter. Spring crops are good especially oats but my spring barley looks good this year. Fertiliser and seed hopper helps. I will try and post another video soon.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! The Mzuri looks strongly built, with high clearance for residue/chopped straw & I like how the coulters are independent for even seeding depth. The front legs look like mini sub soiler legs, which I think would be ideal on heavy land, to till the ground/break up compaction, like you said. That’s very promising that your yields haven’t dropped. Are you using manures/compost/cover crops? We’ve been selling all our straw & spreading green waste compost @ 10T/HA but I’d like to experiment with cover crops & move to a more sustainable way of farming... It’s just being brave enough to take the jump & stop ploughing. Great to see & learn what other farmers are doing! So you think a 724 would handle a 4m pro-till going in 7-8inches on heavy ground? We grow wheat, sb, pots & rent ground out for spring beans. Don’t grow oilseed rape so wouldn’t need to be in too deep. Look forward to seeing your other videos, & thanks again for the reply!

I didnt get into the AECS scheme this time so i dont use cover crops at the moment. i was always a bit concerned about the top layer not drying out in the spring. I sell most of my straw at the moment like you I do put hen muck on before my OSR and spring oats and my soils are in good condition so you should be ok, the compost is a good idea too. Its hard to say whether 240 would be enough to pull the 4m, it depends on the soil, conditions and depth but it would be close. Its great for spring beans (check out my instagram, Everything_is_Greenknowe. Have you read the Direct Driller magazine I found it useful. thanks for the comment.

I’ll have to sign up to Direct Driller Magazine, I see it’s free, which is great! I’ve been mainly gaining info from farmers on the farming forum. There’s a couple of farmers locally who are direct drilling, one with a Claydon & another with a sumo versadrill, so I can learn from them. The problem is there are almost no demonstrator machines available up here. I’m hoping to get some this autumn but they might have to come from England! I’ll have to check out your instagram too! An interesting video, if you have time would be to dig with a spade & show worm numbers/soil improvement that’s happened since using the Mzuri... One final question, do you bother putting tramlines in with the Mzuri or do you just put them in with GPS with your sprayer? Thanks again for the feedback. Just need to get demos to see how they work on my farm!

Thanks for the feedback Robert. The next video has the talking in the middle of the footage for a change. Thanks and keep watching.

thanks

Hi Jonathan, they are looking great thanks, very uniform across the field. The flagleaf is fully out so they have one fungicide spray then i can shut the gate until harvest. By coincidence we made a video at the weekend so hope to have it up this week. Thanks for the question, keep watching.

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 Thank you for the update. We have purchased a Mzuri drill and rake from what I have seen from yourself and speaking to alot of other growers ( who strip till) and soil experts I sure this is the right way forward. I think we alot to learn about our soils ( reading Gebe Browns book at the moment) plus we are not winning the fight on balck grass hopefully strip till will help us with that.

@@jonathanhodgson3815 I agree that we all have a lot to learn. I have also just bought a new Mzuri, a dual hopper this time as i think this could be a benefit. I think you will like the drill, it is well made, trouble free and the back up has been second to none. I find once you find your optimal settings its good to write them down or take a picture as a starting reference next time. Mzuri works well here !

Thanks for the question Denn Cad, I only farm combinable crops but there are potatoes grown on some ground i farm but not grown by me. I rent out the ground for the season and when the potatoes are lifted we put wheat in. I grow malting and brewing barley, feed and distilling wheat, milling oats, beans and oilseed rape. I will put some more update videos on soon.

Glad you asked Jonathan. They look really good, very even emergence. I am hoping to do update videos during the season. I will try and do one as soon as possible to show their progress. Keep watching.

@@everythingisgreenknowe5094 Thats good to hear. I'm very close to buying a Mzuri drill. Generally are you pleased with its performance and how are you finding strip tillage as a technique?

Thanks Jonathan, I am very pleased. I would fully recommend the Protil and the excellent back up from Mzuri. I have had the Protil for four years now and have sown around 10 different crops with it all with success. The leading leg, consolidating wheel and independent coulter pressure is the difference between this and other very capable drills and i think on my heavier ground this is a requirement. The drill does need the recommended horse power but that is because it does till the soil, its not a no till ! I am putting up more videos of the crops during the season, hope you like them. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I have posted a short follow up video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGrKlZaCoJmgd6s

Thank you Harry, not sure your like counts if you made the video !! It is nice though.

Hi Will, sorry for the delay. The sledge is very reliable even when we use it in straw. I think if you have a very long stubble or rutted ground it can cause problems with the guide gates rolling the bales or sometimes tripping the sledge early. We have had this outfit since 1992 and the only reason we still make small bales, for horses and some people who show sheep, is that the machinery is mostly trouble free. Some little balers and sledges do seem to have good days and bad days ! Thanks.

+farmerwright Thanks for the comment. It was just sown and rolled so minimal cost. The wheat looks really good so far despite the wet and cold spring. The root structure is good. The field is drained but prone to flooding in the low lying areas but i think the water drained a lot quicker than on my plough and powerharrowed ground. The field was also able to carry the tractor a bit quicker in the spring due to the untilled strips, helping spray and fertiliser timings. Reflection is a good looking variety and potential is there if the Scottish weather plays ball ! Hope to put more videos up soon if weather improves.