Austen Moore from Barmedman in New South Wales has enjoyed the flexibility of a no-fuss, interchangeable disc and tine seeding system this season.
Moore runs a 1214ha farming business with cropping and Merino sheep enterprises (split 50:50 by area) and this winter cropping program was his first running Ryan NT double discs.
Moore farms with his wife Evelyn, three children Emily, Elizabeth and Laura and his parents Ian and Marilyn.
The double discs are fitted on 230mm (nine inch) spacings on a 6.09m wide Ryan seeder which Moore uses for his cereal cropping and pasture seeding programs.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
"It's a very basic, ground-drive mechanical seeder but it performs well for the farm's needs, is very accurate and efficient," Moore said.
Crops grown include lupins, wheat (for grazing and grain), canola, and oats (for feed). The sheep flock is 100 per cent Merino, based on Kerin Poll Merino blood lines.
The three-box Ryan seeder is about 20 years old and Moore said it will handle seeding rates down to 2kg/ha and is capable of double shoot delivery if needed.
The seeder is towed with a 100kW tractor which Moore said has been much more fuel efficient since swapping out the tines for the double discs.
"With the tines we would average about 50ha of sowing per tank of diesel but with the discs, it's more like 80-85ha per tank.
"And sowing speed has gone from about 9km/h to 12km/h. With the increase in speed there have been no issues with seed placement and accuracy."
Moore said the double discs provide a "fair amount of soil movement" compared to a single disc system and to date he has had no issues with pre-emergent chemical applications.
If needed, Moore can change the bar back to tines which he said is an easy job requiring the removal of a couple of bolts per shank or tine arm.
"That would be an easy day in the workshop and access to the bar is great as I can tilt the whole frame up."
The seeding bar has also been fitted with Ryan coil press harrows, replacing older finger harrows. The double discs feature side-mounted scraper per disc which has a tungsten-strengthened leading edge.
Moore said there is plenty of adjustment available including a shim pack which allows the gap and angle between the double discs to be maintained as the discs wear.
Season-wise, Moore said it has been an excellent start to the winter cropping program following plenty of summer rain and 60mm in the gauges just before seeding started.
"And since we started, we have had about another 50mm. It's probably one of the best autumns I can remember. The lucerne and clover is powering and the grazing wheat has had sheep on it and you would not even know."
