Auto-Pack deemed “the next revolution in tillage and seeding”

Duncan Murdoch has been in the tillage and seeding industry long enough to recall major breakthroughs in cultivator and seeder bar designs over the years, and believes Morris’ Auto-Pack system is the next big thing.

Murdoch has worked with manufacturers in sales of ground engaging implements and today supports the Morris range of tillage and seeding products for WA-based farm equipment distributor, McIntosh Distribution.

“Since I was a kid, we have had several revolutions in seeding bars,” Murdoch said.

“In the very early days, we had the shift from combines to cultivator bars and air seeders. Then we had to make the bars reliable – cracked frames, poor hydraulics and poor flotation were commonplace. Then we made them wider and made them handle more trash. Finally, we got the air kits working properly, we got the bars to seed at the right depth, and we got them to dig.”

He said the industry is about to witness the next big breakthrough in the field of seeding in the form of Morris’ Auto-Pack variable pressure packing via live hydraulics.

“Auto-Pack allows operators to set the desired packing pressure on press wheels and then it maintains it constantly by varying the hydraulic pressure on the opener assembly as soil conditions change across paddocks.”

The correct packing pressure is critical for effective soil-seed contact and establishing capillary action to draw moisture up from deeper in the soil profile to the seedbed.

Too much packing pressure in dry sands or wet clays can result in surface sealing, hindering germination. Too little packing pressure in dry clays or loams won’t press out the soil clods sufficiently to close the furrow, exposing any available soil moisture to evaporation. Not pressing out the clods also reduces soil-seed contact and limits capillary action.

“Auto-Pack creates the most ideal seed germination environment possible. Correctly closed and packed furrows reduce the risk of the available moisture bank evaporating, which is now recognised as critical, particularly with the shift to dry seeding,” Murdoch said.

The new technology was first introduced on the Morris Quantum air drills and is now available with the latest release 80-foot (24-metre) and 90ft (27m) Morris C3 Contour drills.

Murdoch said progressive growers are quickly understanding and recognising the benefits of variable pressure packing.

“They have commented that nothing gets a crop out of the ground quite like it on virtually no moisture at all,” he said.

“Every square inch gets up and crops then get to two to three-leaf quickly and evenly, compared with some paddocks ‘over the fence’ that still haven’t germinated.”

Murdoch said the Auto-Pack, when combined with other Morris innovations such as new Australian-designed air kits, integrated blockage monitoring systems, and the Auto-Lift system, offers the best product delivery possible.