Salvage Seed Drills in New Zealand

Also known as seed drills and related to air drills, grain drills stem from the early seeding tools used in 1500 B.C. Babylon and the multi-tube seed drills 2nd Century Chinese farmers used, as well as the horse-drawn, mechanical seed drill that Jethro Tull invented in 1701. Tull’s drill, which used a front-located plough to create a furrow into which seeds were inserted at regular intervals and a back-located harrow to cover them, proved successful at saving significant time and improved harvest yields.

Prior to grain drills, farmers primarily sowed seeds through broadcasting, or spreading seeds by hand. In addition to reducing seed waste, transitioning to grain drills helped grow crops in straighter rows and at proper depths and made removing weeds between rows easier.

Modern grain drill models are available for conventional and no-till soil conditions (the latter helps preserve moisture and combats erosion) for usage in growing crops, renovating pastures, establishing wildlife habitats, and other applications. Features can include down-pressure adjustment options and multiple seed box support for planting different seeds simultaneously. Manufacturers and sellers of new and pre-owned grain drills include Amazone, Brillion, Case IH, Crust Buster, Great Plains, International, John Deere, Land Pride, Landoll, Massey-Ferguson, Sunflower, and Woods.