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Machinery is a vital cog in the farming process and when looking to invest in new kit, making the right decision is essential. But with technology ever evolving it can be difficult to choose without physically seeing the equipment in action – and the Cereals Event provides the first chance to do this in well over a year.

This year’s physical Cereals Event (30 June – 1 July) provides the perfect opportunity to get up close with the latest kit and speak to the experts. “There will be a vast array of equipment both in action and on display and it will be great for visitors to see them in the flesh after a year without such an opportunity,” says Alli McEntyre, event director.

Live demos include direct drills, strip tills, cultivators, drones and robots; and there will be all of the usual static demonstrations, from combine harvesters to the latest tractors. Visitors will also be able to see kit in action in the Syngenta Sprays and Sprayers arena, with exhibitors from Amazone to John Deere heading to the ring to show off their equipment. “Our new ring mimics real-life conditions, with slopes and bumpy tracks,” says Ms McEntyre. “The latest sprayers will be put through their paces on operator comfort, stability and self-levelling ability, weight, speed, sprayer height, boom length and crop application accuracy.”

Here’s just some of what visitors can expect to see at the event:

AgBot

A must see is the AgBot in action; presented by AgXeed, the AgBot Ecosystem is a digital path planning, autonomous task performing and automatic data collection robot, controlled with just a couple of clicks. Using existing and standard tools on your farm, the AgBot Ecosystem is ready to use right out of the box. AgXeed provides a smart and ready to use autonomy system with scalable and customisable hardware, virtual planning tools and valuable data models.

Amazone

Cereals will see the unveiling of the new Pantera 4504 self-propelled sprayer, boasting more precise plant protection application with an all-new SmartCenter and 60-litre induction bowl for powder and granules.

The new twin, pressure-stable and liquid-fertiliser proof AR piston diaphragm pumps, with a total output capacity of 520 litres/min, have been repositioned, dramatically reducing noise during the filling process, and offer a fill capacity of up to 700 litres/min.

Also on its first outing is the new GreenDrill 501 universal catch crop seeder box, suitable for sowing catch crops, fine seeds, undersown crops and spreading micro-granules, pellets and micro-fertilisers.

The 500-litre capacity plastic seed hopper can easily be accessed using steps and a platform for rapid seed filling and has a screw lock to protect the contents against dust and moisture. The seed hopper has a fill level sensor that can be mounted in two positions and, in the bottom, a sieve to protect the hopper from foreign bodies.

Opico

Opico will be launching the HE-VA Disc Roller Contour XL, designed for a more aggressive cultivation than its smaller sibling, the Disc Roller Contour. The XL is suitable for both primary and secondary cultivations at high speeds, from stale seedbed preparation to the destruction of standing cover crops.

It will also be launching the HE-VA Top Cutter Solo: Aimed at organic and conventional farmers it is designed to roll, cut and bruise cover, catch and vegetable crops, reducing the reliance on herbicides. It also benefits maize stubbles by reducing the burden of maize boring worm and fusarium, helping to reduce the reliance on pesticides.

The standard twin rotor machine is front mounted, although it can be supplied with an optional 3-point kit to mount it on the rear of the tractor. This means it can be used independently or in conjunction with a cultivator or drill.

“As we all know, one pass systems have the economic benefit of time and fuel savings as well as minimising compaction with reduced traffic helping to conserve integrity of the soil,” says Glenn Bootman, HE-VA product manager.

John Deere

Making their event debuts are the John Deere 7R 350 and award-winning 8RX four-track tractors, while the R740i trailed sprayer and Mazzotti MAF 4080 self-propelled sprayer with 36m boom can be seen in the Sprays and Sprayers demonstration arena.

Built in a compact frame for easy manoeuvrability in the field, the 8RX Series has been developed with the aim of maximising soil protection without compromising tractor performance.

Also featured for the first time at Cereals 2021, the flagship X9 combine represents the next level of John Deere harvesting performance to help large-scale farmers achieve more tonnes per hour and more hectares per day, specifically in tough, high yielding, wet conditions. The X9 1100 can harvest wheat at an impressive 100 tonnes per hour at less than 1% grain loss.

Direct drilling demonstrations

Minimal soil disturbance and cover crops are the cornerstones of conservation agriculture; with this in mind direct drilling demonstrations will also be running – new for Cereals 2021. A wide range of demonstrators will be on hand to help with any questions on conservation agriculture.

Isuzu

Isuzu will be showcasing its new D-Max. Featuring all the qualities of the previous model, the D-Max has been fine-tuned and visitors to this year’s Cereals Event will be able to test drive it for themselves across a purpose-built off-road course. There will also be a towing area where visitors can test their towing prowess in the new D-Max.

• The Cereals Event will be held in Lincolnshire on 30 June – 1 July 2021 and will comply with all required biosecurity measures against Covid-19. For more information or to register for tickets visit www.cerealsevent.co.uk.