We sat down with Peter Roberts from Ridge Haven Poll Dorsets in New South Wales to have a little chat about his recently purchased Horsch Avatar SD 6 metre drill. The Avatar SD machine is designed with a revolutionary concept – combining an agronomic platform, agile two-tank design, and the most precise volumetric metering system on the market. Designed to be extremely low maintenance and user-friendly, we wanted to see if the precise attention to detail in the design was noticed by Peter, a successful farmer, and loyal Horsch purchaser.

Easily Transported

Peter Roberts has a farming operation of about 5 and a half thousand acres total, spanning across four farming properties. Their varied focus includes raising rams, breeding ewes, and about 2 and a half thousand acres of crop a year. It’s easy to imagine that the initial choice for Peter in purchasing the Horsch Avatar was the transportable nature of the machine. Peter says that the ability to move the machine themselves (3-metre transport width) was absolutely paramount in their decision to purchase it.

Sow Two Products At Once

Moving between his farms with the Avatar was important but not the only benefit to Peter and his crew. The Horsch Avatar has the unique ability to sow two different products at one time. Peter explains that being in the forage business, Avatar’s ability to sow two products (in this case canola and wheat) is extremely important. With the selective hosing option, the Avatar gave Peter’s farm the ability to sow canola and wheat in one paddock at the same time, and we’re able to get perfect seed placement for both crops.

“Hedging Bets” With the Seasons

The idea is for Peter and his farm to use the Avatar to hedge their bets with the season. Not knowing what the coming spring will look like, in February Peter can grow both canola and wheat and make different decisions with these products depending on what the season provides him. The Avatar makes this double sowing and precise germination possible. When asked about maintenance and calibration, Peter exclaims what a breeze it has been, the simplest machine that he has ever used, in fact.

Trash Flow

Peter lent his machine to a neighbor who was interested in increasing the organic matter in his soil and wondered what the trash flow abilities might be with the Avatar. Everyone was impressed at the way it flew through his forage sorghum. It was about 1.5-metres high, and an ungrazed paddock, and at 13k/hr, it still maintained perfect seed placement with no blockages.

Avatar HD is a Real Winner

The list of accomplishments that were achieved for Peter Roberts with the Horsch Avatar SD is extensive but, quite simply, he purchased the Horch Avatar for its versatility. For him, the ability to complete multiple tasks quickly and easily is what made this machine an absolute winner. With a common-sense approach to design, Horsch products use basic principles to achieve maximum yield results, and Peter Roberts is one of our proudest converts. For more information on the Avatar SD, many other Horsch machines, or to book a viewing: head on over to www.muddyriv.com.au

Or see the interview here:  https://youtu.be/StX4rq3VWh0