Morris Rig Delivers in Dry Seeding Season
Newdegate graingrower Adam Gent has completed seeding for the season with his new Morris 9365 TBT air cart and 15-metre Quantum bar from McIntosh & Son, and reports the new rig performed exceptionally well in the dry conditions he's faced this season.
Adam seeds 3200 hectares of barley, canola and a small amount of wheat, and received his Morris seeding rig earlier this year, replacing a Bourgault bar and a Flexi-Coil box.
A trying start to the season
"So far the season's been fairly trying," Adam said. "We've had enough rain just to get us from A to B — probably about 90 millilitres for the growing season so far. Crops have established reasonably well, but we need a fair bit more rain to get us through to October."
Built for dry seeding
With more land under crop this year, dry seeding was always on the cards, and it was a key factor in his decision to upgrade to the Morris Quantum bar.
"It definitely shone in the dry conditions," Adam said. "Seed placement was perfect."
The Auto-Lift and Auto-Pack features proved particularly valuable, with Auto-Pack automatically adjusting packing pressure as the air seeder moved between tough, dry ground and lighter country.
Adam also noted savings on seed and fertiliser compared with previous seasons, particularly in paddocks that have historically been difficult to seed.
The 9 Series air carts are known for their Spiral Fluted metering wheel, which delivers precise and continuous product flow into the air stream at very low rates.
A performance that exceeded expectations
The Quantum bar's precision in dry conditions turned out to be even more effective than Adam anticipated, to the point where it's reshaping how he'll approach packing pressure next season.
He'd wound up the packing pressure to encourage germination on minimal moisture, and the bar delivered — perhaps too well. With a four-to-five week gap before the next rain, some seed that had swelled early struggled to establish.
"It's not something I've had to go back and reseed or anything," Adam said. "It's just lessons learnt."
Next season, he plans to back off the packing pressure once moisture starts to get minimal, fine-tuning an already strong performance even further.
Strong support from McIntosh & Son
Adam said it took some time to get his head around the new technology, but the support from McIntosh & Son made all the difference.
"Any questions, you can just ring McIntosh & Son," he said. "The backup's always been good."
Growers interested in learning more about the Morris 9 Series and 10 Series air carts or Quantum seeding bars is encouraged to contact their local McIntosh & Son branch.