Direct drilling for profitability

Formed in 2010 as a joint venture between Michael Needham and David Ashton, the business farms 850ha just north of Boston. 

Having given up growing oilseed rape on his 567ha acres of heavy silt soil at Mallows Farm, Sibsey due to the crop’s increasing agronomic and financial risks, Michael now produces 283ha of hard Group 4 winter wheat, 28ha of winter linseed, 40ha of spring barley and 40ha of spring beans.

He also grows 61ha of maize as feedstock for a local anaerobic digester plant, while a further 81ha are in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

David Ashton has also stopped growing oilseed rape on his 291ha Gasks Farm, Wrangle, where cropping for the 2025 harvest comprises 103ha of first wheat and 83ha of second wheat, all Group 4s, together with 45ha of linseed which his son Phillip says is excellent for conditioning the soil and lowering slug pressures.

The farm also produces 49ha of spring beans and has 16ha of grass for its 32,000 free-range chickens.

Soils comprise mainly skirt fen and other higher organic matter types; these used to set like concrete when dry then have restricted capacity to retain water.

However, after several plough-free years their condition has improved significantly, helped by the fact that all straw and manure is retained on the farm.

A new approach

“Until 2010 we took a very conventional approach to crop establishment, either ploughing or using a Simba Solo and press initially.

These were followed by a Horsch Joker compact disc harrow to create 3–4in of tilth ahead of the drill, which improved seed to soil contact and provided a smooth surface finish to optimise the effectiveness of residual herbicides,” Michael outlines. 

“In 2010 we started with a 4m Vaderstad Rapid drill but soon decided that it did not have enough capacity to establish all our cereals on time in the autumn, so we moved to a 6m version.

“As black-grass became increasingly resistant to herbicides we had to move to more spring cropping, which comprises barley, beans and linseed, to help control the problem. 

“This allowed us to reduce our drill size back to 4m, but we added a subsoiler toolbar and still needed a 350–400hp tractor to achieve the output required.

“The subsoiler toolbar reduced our cultivations in front of the drill to just a pass or two with the Joker, but increasingly wet weather in the autumn did not suit this set up and so we looked at the alternatives.

“After speaking to a neighbour who is a long-term Claydon user, as well as agronomists and advisors, we felt that the Claydon Hybrid direct drill would provide a practical solution by eliminating many of the cultivations we had been doing, reducing establishment costs and improving timeliness.

“In 2021 we purchased a new 6m Claydon Hybrid drill equipped with 7in A shares, two additional hoppers, levelling boards and rear harrows from our local dealer, Pecks.

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“We used it behind our 315hp New Holland T7 to drill cereals, oilseed rape and cover crops that autumn, then in the spring to establish barley and beans.

“That tractor was replaced with a 340hp New Holland T7 340 which really suits the 6m drill as it has bags of power, is not too heavy and is very manoeuvrable.

“In four seasons the drill has covered 3,500ha, establishing a wide range of arable and cover crops, together with stewardship schemes.

“We have used it with the standard 7in A-share which Claydon recommend for most situations, as well as 3in spoons and knife coulters for beans. 

“The first two autumns were kind and we direct drilled everything, including wheat following maize and wheat after catch crops.

“The results were so good that we even used the Hybrid with knife coulters to establish spring beans directly.

“One year the soil was quite moist so the slots left by the coulters were a little wider than we would have liked, but one pass with our 7.5m Claydon straw harrow at a 30-degree angle to the direction of drilling did a good job of closing them up and levelling the land. We still use that approach.

“Because we were drilling wheat later, and with more summer covers and catch crops to establish, the autumn sowing window was becoming narrower, so we were stretched to get everything in the ground on time.

“The pressure on our 6m Hybrid in the autumn meant that we had to have a contractor drill our winter beans for us, which wasn’t ideal.

“After Storm Babet hit in October 2023 all the land remained very wet through to the spring, so we were unable to establish winter beans, and it was January before we drilled the last of the winter wheats on a frost.”

Second drill investment

“The knock-on effects of the severe weather made us realise that we needed more capacity to reliably get everything in the ground on time and avoid significant yield penalties,” Phillip adds.

“Our original idea was to supplement the 6m Claydon Hybrid with a second-hand 3m Claydon Hybrid, but because the Rural Payments Agency’s Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grants would cover 60% of the cost, in spring 2024 we ordered a new 3m Claydon Evolution, with front discs and 7in A-shares.

“It arrived in July and by December had been used behind our 215hp John Deere 6215R to drill 8ha of catch crop, 186ha of winter wheat and 93ha of cover crops at Wrangle.  

“We use the Hybrid and Evolution for everything. Their low operating costs keep our overall establishment costs low and after years of not ploughing the condition of soils across the two farms has improved greatly.

“Claydon drills are simple in terms of concept, their design is very practical, they are easy to calibrate, and there is a significant fuel saving.

“Maintenance costs are extremely low and the generally non-abrasive nature of the soils on both farms means that the Hybrid is still on its original leading tines after 3,500ha.

“Almost any drill will operate when soils are dry, but in our experience only the Claydons will work successfully in difficult conditions.

“They cope very well with surface trash and take out wheelings from the previous season’s activities, making them very adaptable.

“They also work well in wet conditions, which can tempt you to go drilling when you shouldn’t. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean to say that you should, so restraint is needed.

“Partly due to slug pressures, partly because of later drilling and partly because seed placement with a tine-type drill is not quite as accurate as one which uses a disc coulter arrangement, we tend to use slightly higher seed rates.

“A robust 400/m2 helps to offset later drilling and we generally follow with a heavy stack of pre-emergence chemistry.

“It’s difficult to compare our two drills directly due to their different tine configurations presently, but with the 3m Evolution drilling up to 19ha a day and the 6m Hybrid up to 32ha we are now able to get all crops in the ground on time.

“Both offer so many options that we are spoilt for choice and are still learning how to get the best from them. The only thing they don’t do is consolidate the soil after the seed is in the ground, so where possible we Cambridge roll after drilling if we feel it is the right thing to do.”

Everything direct drilled

The 2024 harvest at Gasks Farm, Wrangle began on 20th July when the final crop of oilseed rape was combined and finished with spring beans on 17th September at Sibsey.

With cereal straw fetching high prices all of it was baled by a contractor and sold, albeit with large swathes missing due to the flooding from Storm Babet back in October 2023. 

“After Storm Babet, we had a small opportunity to drill some more winter wheat on the January frost in 2024, but the results were variable.

“Our farms were incredibly wet and the subsequent rainfall until harvest meant these once ponded areas needed serious restructuring – more than any plant root or seed drill could provide,” Phillip outlines.

“Following the 2024 harvest at Wrangle we subsoiled everything except where the linseed had been sown back in the spring. At Sibsey Mike took a similar approach but also ploughed some land.

“The four inches of water that fell in September, at the beginning of the autumn drilling campaign, highlighted the unpredictable nature of the weather we are having to farm with and around.

“However, due to the soil restructuring which we had carried out the water drained through the soil profile, which allowed us to execute our autumn drilling programme unhindered by waterlogging.

“Having dropped oilseed rape this season there was no need to change back to the A-share in the autumn and the Hybrid was used with Claydon’s Twin Tine kit which we originally bought for drilling spring barley.

“It works very well and allowed us to go straight in behind the subsoiler, but we have also used it after a Horsch Joker and Kverneland DTX.”

Going forward, Michael and Phillip are keen to minimise the need for remedial work on their soils and have no plans to plough again. The Claydon drills are a key part of Hobhole Farming’s system and the tine/coulter options available make them the most versatile drills on the market.

With a few simple, quick modifications they can be used for conventional sowing, low-disturbance establishment, and zero-till seeding, with or without fertiliser placement between or in the seeded rows. 

A holistic approach to crop establishment, the Claydon Opti-Till System delivers consistently good, high-yielding crops at low cost for maximum profitability.

The majority of Claydon drills leave the factory with the company’s ground-breaking leading tines and standard 7in or 5in A-shares fitted to the seeding tines.

These do an excellent job of establishing any crop that can be air-sown in most soils or conditions and the area between the rows can be kept clean using the Claydon TerraBlade inter-row hoe. 

“As farmers we instinctively want to grow crops to feed the nation, but pure economics will drive what we do going forward and how we do it,” Phillip states. “Our main income is from wheat, so it’s all about growing the crop as cheaply as possible and using effective break crops.

“It’s essential to keep costs under tight control and the Claydon system provides obvious benefits in that respect.“

As our soils have improved through direct drilling, so have the results from using the Claydon system. Even though we could have managed to establish everything this autumn with our 6m Hybrid, we have used it alongside our 3m Evolution and certainly don’t regret having two drills.

The last few years have highlighted that you can never know what weather challenges you will face, so it gives us the peace of mind to know that we will always be on top of the work.”

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