Crop residues don't have to be a challenge!
Residue management is the process of controlling crop residues such as straw, chaff and stubble following harvest to create the best possible conditions for the next crop.
When managed correctly, residue can help protect soil structure, conserve moisture, support soil biology and improve long-term soil health. The key is ensuring residue is distributed evenly across the field and managed appropriately to support successful crop establishment.
A combination of effective combine setup and stubble management tools, good residue management helps turn a by-product of harvest into a valuable asset for the field. Historically, residues were often removed or intensively cultivated into the soil. However, as growers have increasingly focused on soil health, moisture conservation and reducing establishment costs, residue is now being recognised as an asset that can contribute significant long-term benefits to the farm. Most growers have seen the effects of uneven residue distribution. Straw rows, chaff concentrations and residue mats can lead to patchy emergence, difficult drilling conditions and inconsistent crop performance. In many cases, the issues blamed on drilling direct, actually started at harvest.
Get residue management right, however, and the story is very different.
Succesful residue management starts with effective straw and chaff distribution behind the combine. From there, tools such as the Straw Harrow and TerraStar can help spread residue more evenly, improve residue-to-soil contact and create the ideal conditions for drilling. The aim isn’t to remove residue, it’s to make it work for you.
Used by thousands of farms worldwide.
20+ years of innovation
Family-owned & British-built
Click here to request a quote
Hear from our farmers
Straw Harrow
“I still regard the Straw Harrow as an essential part of our crop establishment system. It does an excellent job of evening out the distribution of chopped straw and knocking it off the stubble onto the ground where the worms can get at it, then take it down into the soil” – Mick Stanley
TerraStar
“If farmyard manure is to be spread and incorporated prior to drilling, using a Claydon TerraStar for example, rates of 8-10 tonne/acre works well” – Wayne Turnbull
Our Residue Management Tool Range
Successful residue management ultimately leads to successful establishment. Claydon seed drills are designed to operate effectively in retained residue systems, creating a clean seeding zone whilst maintaining valuable residue cover between the rows.
Trailed and Mounted Straw Harrows
The Straw Harrow is designed to spread straw and chaff more evenly across the field, helping to eliminate residue concentrations and improve residue-to-soil contact.
By disturbing only the surface, it encourages residue breakdown and volunteer germination while maintaining the valuable soil structure below.
Ideal for:
- Breaking up straw rows
- Spreading chaff evenly
- Encouraging decomposition
- Stimulating volunteer chit
- Low-cost, low-disturbance, cheap residue management
TerraStar
Where residue levels are higher or additional soil movement is required, the TerraStar provides a shallow cultivation option that can help create a more consistent environment for establishment.
Working at shallow depths, the TerraStar can improve residue-to-soil contact, stimulate volunteers and help manage surface compaction caused by harvest traffic.
Ideal for:
- Heavy residue situations
- Incorporating manure
- Reducing soil erosion
- Warming soils in springtime
Think Change
Challenging times call for smarter thinking. Think Change with Claydon
To receive your free digital copy of our THINK booklet, sign up to our email updates by emailing marketing@claydondrill.com
Get in touch
Need help? We’re just a message away.
CLAYDON SEED DRILLS SYSTEM
HOW IT WORKS
Both the Evolution M-Mounted and Hybrid T-Trailed drills follow the same core principle, but they are designed for different farm sizes and farming operations.
Evolution M Mounted
- Better suited to small and medium farms where manoeuvrability and lower entry cost are important.
- Mounted configuration keeps the machine compact and agile in smaller or irregular fields.
- Hopper capacity up to around 2,500–2,700 litres, suitable for efficient output without excessive machine weight.
Case Studies
See how Claydon Drills have helped farmers across the world achieve real-life results — saving fuel, reducing unnecessary field passes and protecting soil structure while improving operational efficiency, soil health and overall crop performance.
Cotswolds- Stancombe Ash Farm
“It took us a long while to pluck up the courage to move away from our traditional approach of crop ...Read More
Norfolk – Astley Farms
“What we needed was a drill which was well priced, simple, practical and reliable, yet could cope with a wide ...Read More
Suffolk – T G Harris & Son
“Since changing to Claydon Opti-Till® we have seen a dramatic change in the health and structure of our soils, even ...Read More
Cumbria – George Douglas
“I had not realised just how large the time and fuel savings would be . . the Claydon Hybrid is ...Read More
Devon – Church Town Farm
“I needed a drill which was very versatile and would operate reliably in any situation. Although others worked well in ...Read More
Midlothian – Penicuik Estate
“Timeliness is key to everything that we do here. We have only 10 days to combine winter barley, bale the ...Read More
North Yorkshire – W Rooke & Sons
“I questioned why on earth we were still spending every waking hour for weeks on end working with a plough ...Read More
Wiltshire – Peter Wilson
“We have seen a massive reduction in the hours which our three tractors clock up since switching to direct seeding. ...Read More
Lincolnshire – Will Gilman
“Since switching from conventional direct drilling to direct seeding with the Claydon Opti-Till® System the performance of our crops has ...Read More
Lincolnshire – Paul Sheardown
“Traditional no-till direct drilling proved too risky, so I went back to Claydon Opti-Till® direct seeding as I know it ...Read More
Yorkshire – Wayne Turnbull
“Our largest field is 50 hectares and had a legacy of light blackgrass from years of conventional cultivations. I have ...Read More
East Yorkshire – Sam Middleton
“We had tried disc-type direct drills in the past, but crop establishment was not good enough to risk going down ...Read More
About Us
A farming family with a passion for better machinery.
The Claydon family has been farming the heavy clay land of Suffolk since the early 1900s. Jeffrey and Frank Claydon are the third generation to work the same fields under the E.T. Claydon and Sons name, and they still farm that land today. In 1981, the family began manufacturing with the launch of the Claydon Yield-o-Meter, a pioneering yield monitoring system. That spirit of innovation led to the development of the Opti-Till seed drilling system. Today, multiple farms across the UK and beyond rely on our machinery to save time, cut costs and protect soil health.
The Claydon Hybrid is very versatile and has created a much improved, more open soil structure which is much better able to support the weight of following machinery. The land walks so much better now and has become almost self-healing.
In the first year the Claydon drill saved us 30,000 litres of fuel compared with our previous system. At 70 pence per litre that alone represented a saving of £21,000, but there were numerous other immediate benefits in terms of timeliness, time saving, better crops and much lower costs.
The Claydon System buys us time on our difficult ground and the main advantage for us is the speed and efficiency of the system. We can comfortably drill 32-40ha in a day. Given our steep banks, stones and some fiddly fields that’s a decent rate, and far more than we could achieve with the plough.
Get In Touch
We love to listen and we are eagerly waiting to talk to you regarding your project. Get in touch with us if you have any queries and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Contact Information
info@claydondrill.com
Phone
+44 (0)1440 820327
Visitors and deliveries
Claydon Drills/ Claydon Yield-o-Meter Ltd
Bunters Road
Wickhambrook
Newmarket
Suffolk, CB8 8XY
Send Us a Message
Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you shortly.
FAQs
Everything you need to know about Claydon agricultural machinery and conservation farming.
The Evolution M-Mounted Drill suits smaller to medium acreages, lower-horsepower tractors and more irregular fields.
The Hybrid T-Trailed Drill is better suited to larger farms, contractors and situations where higher output is required.
Power requirement depends on the working width and soil type. A 3m mounted seed drill will usually suit tractors from around 120–150 hp, while larger trailed drills may require 180–300 hp or more, particularly in heavier soils or higher output situations.
Yes. The leading tine loosens the rooting zone and creates drainage beneath the seed, which helps crops establish in heavier soils. Many UK growers use Claydon drills specifically to manage heavier land and reduce compaction issues.
A seed drill places seed into the soil at a set depth and spacing, usually in rows, to give more even emergence and better seed use. A seeder is a broader term that can include machines which spread seed on the surface with less control over depth and spacing.
No. Claydon drills are designed for direct drilling into stubble or after minimal cultivation. Some farms still plough occasionally as part of their rotation, but many reduce or remove ploughing altogether once the system is established.