StripTill & HORSCH Focus (Part 3)
HORSCH Focus – Maximum efficiency for rape
The HORSCH Focus line excels due to its efficiency and the individual equipment options. Especially when sowing rape, the Focus offers enormous advantages with regard to area output and variability. Because of the low rainfall during the past three years, we notice an increasing interest in Eastern Europe for sowing rape with the StripTill method. The reduced movement of the soil and the thus low moisture loss as well as the improved root growth due to the attractant effect of the deeply placed fertiliser guarantee that a lot of rape populations mature in a healthier way and with an increased yield level. Farmers confirm again and again that they can work in a particularly more efficient and effective way with a HORSCH Focus as they save labour and passes. Especially in years with little rainfall we notice a certain securing of the yield for rape. Efficiency is increased as the working steps soil loosening, consolidation and sowing are increased in one pass. This allows for saving costs and makes the HORSCH Focus extremely efficient. The HORSCH TurboEdge seed coulter removes harvest residues from the seed furrow and places the rape seed with millimetre precision. Due to the pressure resp. depth control rolls the individually suspended tine seed coulters with rubber bearings adapt to the soil in an optimum way and place every seed precisely. Due to the 2-bar design of the soil loosening tines and the large tyres the HORSCH Focus is not prone to clogging even if there are a lot of residues from the previous crop and leaves an excellent work pattern.
There are other equipment versions for rape sowing that have been specially adapted for the Focus like a HORSCH MiniDrill that as a third tank almost doubles efficiency or saves an additional pass with regard to the protection against plant pests.
With regards to the MiniDrill equipment HORSCH offers two different versions. Version MiniDrill G&F serves as a third tank for seed. It allows for almost doubling the efficiency of the machine when sowing rape. The MiniDrill with a tank capacity of 400 litres, filled with rape seed, allows for filling both large hoppers (capacity 2000 and 3000 litres) with mineral fertiliser. Thus, you can reduce the stops for refilling and gain valuable time for sowing.
The second option is the MiniDrill PPF version. In this case, the MiniDrill is used for carrying along microgranular compound, underseeds or slug pellets. This third possible component is applied on the surface of the field via baffles. In this version the MiniDrill is equipped with an own fan, an own pneumatic system with a separate distribution tower and baffles in front of each seed coulter.
The possibility to place three different components in three different seed horizons makes the Focus a perfect catch crop seed drill. For example, field beans can be placed deeply, the seed coulters can drill vetches on a normal seed horizon and grass or clover can be applied via the baffle.
The placement of catch crops in the optimum seed horizon, the application of microgranular compound or slug pellets as well as the possibility to drill underseeds illustrate the variety of use of the MiniDrill PPF at the Focus TD.
