Alpego has released cost comparisons for establishing grassland leys, claiming that its Inversa rotary tiller, combined with a Stocks Ag seeder, can cut costs by a third.
Supplied by Opico, the combination can reportedly establish grass leys in a single pass, significantly cutting fuel costs when compared to a traditional multi-pass system.
“With fuel at such a high price, farmers are on the lookout for reducing costs and simplifying grassland reseeds,” comments Glenn Bootman, Alpego product manager. “By using the Inversa fitted with a Stocks seeder, all the jobs involved in a traditional approach are combined, reducing the intensity of the operation, significantly reducing labour requirements and fuel consumption.”
Using figures from the Nix Farm Management Pocketbook, the company suggests that a traditional establishment of plough, power harrow, rolls, seeder and a second pass with the rolls costs around £265.01/ha. Removing the first pass with the roller reduces this to £239.19.
However, a single pass with the Inversa is estimated to cost £130/ha, followed by a pass with a roller for seed-to-soil contact; the total cost for establishment comes to £155.82/ha.
Three versions of the machine are available. The 2.5-3m IG range for tractors from 90-170hp and 3-4m IZ variants are rated for 140hp to 280hp. Finally, the flagship hydraulic folding Poker range spans 3.6m to 5m working widths and will handle up to 260hp. All the seeders are available with a choice of metering rollers and other options, including hydraulic depth adjustment on the IG model.