Getting started on a low budget is possible. There are ways that you can get started in direct seeding without spending a lot of money. The first thing you have to do is approach your machinery inventory with a different mind set. You will no longer be intensively tilling your land, so your equipment inventory can shrink. That main tractor you thought was nearing the end of its useful life will probably be more than adequate if all it has to do is put in the crop. Your extensive line of aged tillage equipment that hasn't been replaced since the last little boom in agriculture, 15-20 years ago, won't have to be replaced now. It can be sold instead.
When considering direct seeding, the focus seems to always be on the drill. Often heard is the comment "I would like to try direct seeding, but I can't possibly afford the equipment". Perhaps there are ways that existing equipment can be modified or ways that drills can be built from components at a cost saving. I will give you three examples of how this was done in our district.
On our own farm, we were able to fund the acquisition of our drill from the sale of equipment that was surplus once we had decided to move into direct seeding. Equipment sold included a 130 Hp two-wheel drive tractor, two PTO combines, two swathers, 45 feet of discers, a harrow packer drawbar, a rock picker, a 48 foot rod weeder, etc., etc. So perhaps, if you take a look around your farm and see what you can do without, this strategy can work for you too.
We watched a farm-built drill using Accra Plant double disc openers working at a field day near Kindersley about 10 years ago and decided that we would build something similar. We placed an order for 35 Accra Plant double disc openers to be brought in from Kansas. The cost of the openers was $22,000. Each opener is a complete seeding unit, incorporating a disc style opener, followed by a backswept knife, a seed tube and packing wheel. All adjustments for depth, downforce and packing pressure were incorporated into the unit. It is sort of like a Barton opener, but probably not as good. For a tool bar, we traded our Valmar granular applicator for a well-worn Morris 31-foot deep tillage cultivator. The shank assemblies were stripped off and sold for $75 each. The Frame was extended to 35 feet and an extra set of wheels was put under the main frame. Tires and wheel bearings were replaced, hydraulic cylinders re-sealed and cylinder shafts were chromed. Depth control geometry was re-jigged to achieve higher clearance. In the whole process, a box of welding rods disappeared and a fresh coat of paint was sprayed on. The opener assemblies were mounted on 12-inch centres and before long, we had ourselves a no-till drill. All that was needed was a seed cart and distribution system. We chose Bourgault because of its simplicity and reputation for reliability. We found a nearly new 2155 with a gas engine to drive the fan (our old Steiger tractor has stoneage hydraulics) along with the distribution system, hitch and various other pieces for $16,500. When we pulled into the field, we had about $42,000 invested. That may not sound like a low budget, but keep in mind we didn't have an existing piece of seeding equipment that we could adapt; we had to start from scratch. A nice feature of this drill is that any one of the three main components (tool bar, opener assemblies or seed cart) can be changed or upgraded without affecting the other components. In fact, we are considering replacing the Accra Plant openers with Bartons, which would give us new drill performance for about $25,000.
Perry, who became interested in direct seeding at the same time as we did, took a different approach. He traded his old discers and harrow packer drawbar on a set of Versatile hoe drills. Coulters were mounted in front of the hoes and Perry went seeding. Residue clearance and rocks were serious challenges, so the decision was made to replace the hoes with Accra Plant openers like ours, less the swivel mounts and packer wheels. It should be noted that these Accra Plants were available in many different configurations to suit a wide variety of applications. The winter of 1990-91 was spent mounting the new openers on the drill on 10-inch centres. This necessitated reconfiguring the packer wheels since the hoe openers were on 8-inch spacing. After an investment of many hours labour and about $25,000, Perry was delighted to find that his new creation worked beautifully. Over the years, the drills were extended from 35 to 42 feet and hydraulic disc markers were added. Perry grew a lot of nice crops with this drill, but as his farm grew, his rotation became more diverse and as custom work became available, he needed something that would be easier to move and clean out.
Two years ago, he came across a John Deere air seeder and a 665 cart that had been nicely converted to a tow behind tank with a hydraulic fan changeover. Also included, was a John Deere deep tillage tool bar from which the shanks had already been removed. Onto this frame, Perry mounted the Barton II openers on 10 inch centres. Getting the opener units to fit under the frame proved to be quite a challenge. A fourth row was added to the front of the main frame and the walking beams were removed from the wings and replaced with single wheels. The finished product is an impressive drill that works very well Perry chose the single shoot Bartons because in our area, moisture, not nutrients, is almost always the most limiting factor. 25 pounds each of nitrogen and phosphorus go down with the seed in cereals. The Bartons do an excellent job of seeding with good penetration, good seed placement and packing. Maintenance is low, especially compared to the Accra Plants. This drill cost approximately $30,000 to build and is expected to last for several years. A new Model 6000 from Flexi-Coil would cost about $90,000.
I've given you three examples of reasonably inexpensive drills that have worked well in our district. If you possess some creativity and are handy around the shop, you may be able to adapt what you have now, or if not, put something together from components that will work for you. Keep in mind that most of the equipment that works the best on our prairie farms was born out of necessity, usually in the farm shop by an innovative farmer. Many of the break-throughs in equipment design started out as a chalk drawing on a clean patch of the farm shop floor.
Once the drill is in place, your thoughts will turn to rotations, disease management and weed control. This is where staying on a low budget becomes the challenge. Rotations must be well thought out so your crops in sequence are complementary to one another. Diseases, weed control, fertility, moisture availability, and of course markets, must all be taken into consideration. It sounds simple, but it isn't because so many factors come into play. If you look for all of your solutions and remedies in your agro dealer's warehouse, you will soon find that the economics don't pencil out very well at all. There has been lots of work done on rotations, disease management and weed management in direct seeding systems, so the answers are available. Forums such as this conference are an excellent place to start. Our SSCA direct seeding hotline will put you in touch with one of our experts or you can access our Farmers Helping Farmers service if you want to speak directly to other producers who have found solutions to the problems you may be having.
No-till farming is so very management intensive, but if you do your homework and learn the system, you will be rewarded.