Experts from OPICO will be on hand at the Croptec event to give advice on the innovative Sky drill range, particularly helpful for growers considering how to move forward with no-till, min-till, cover cropping or companion crops.

The unique design of the drills offers great versatility, providing high capacity drilling solutions across a range of soil conditions and cultivation systems, allowing a wide window of crop establishment.

The MaxiDrill is designed to provide a high speed minimum tillage drilling solution with the flexibility to work in a conventional plough-based cultivation system, and also as a no-till drill in light soils. Moreover its clever design allows drilling to continue even when conditions turn sticky.

The EasyDrill is specifically designed as a direct drill but works equally well in minimum tillage conditions, on consolidated ploughed soil and when drilling into cover crops. This drill can be fitted with up to three separate hoppers to allow conventional drilling to take place alongside fertiliser application, cover crop drilling or slug pellet application.

An electric driven metering system allows easy calibration, accurate setting and variable rate as standard. The primary seed is drilled using the disc coulter and the secondary product (often fertiliser) is applied by dedicated coulters in front of the press wheels. If an additional ‘pro hopper’ is fitted for a third microgranular product or small seed size, this is metered into either the seed or fertiliser distribution systems and drilled with one product or the other. The use of two separate air circuits to supply the seed and the fertiliser allows the products to be drilled at two different depths.

The clever row management system then allows manual selection of rows so that every other, or any number of rows, can be shut off to provide wider row spacing with one seed; or rows to be planted with alternating seed types.

With minimal soil disturbance, these features mean the drills can be used in the fight against grass weeds, whilst providing accurate and consistent seed and fertiliser placement, targeting nutrition correctly and maximising crop efficiency.

Commenting James Woolway, OPICO Managing Director said, ‘With the Sky brand we have over 25 years of experience and farm trials in cover cropping and companion crops. Visitors to Croptec can join us on the OPICO stand where we can provide support and advice for growers considering a move to no-till or min-till, whilst looking at what machinery they will require to manage the change effectively.’