Setting a seed drill for wheat

A seed drill is only as good as its settings. Ten minutes in the yard before sowing can save a thin, uneven crop.

Start with the seed rate. For timely-sown wheat, most farmers use about 40 kg an acre. Set the fluted roller opening using the chart on the box lid, then check it. Jack up the drive wheel, fill the box, place a sheet under the tubes and turn the wheel the number of times shown on the chart for one-tenth of an acre. Weigh the seed collected and adjust.

Next, depth. Wheat sown at 4–5 cm emerges evenly; deeper seed uses its energy reaching the surface. Set the tines level and the depth wheels the same on both sides, then check a few rows in the first field by scraping back the soil.

Finally, keep the tubes clear. A blocked tube leaves an empty row you will notice only weeks later. Look back every few rounds, and clean the box of fertiliser at the end of every day, because damp fertiliser cakes and corrodes the metering parts.