TAMS grant aid for a range of tillage equipment was announced last month and the scheme is now open for applications. The Department has now published a specification for the tillage equipment that is eligible for grant aid – S195. It has a number of revisions on the first draft released when the scheme was announced.

Grant aid is available on sprayers and cultivators as well as GPS systems for tractors, combines and spreaders. If you are considering applying to the scheme you must first ensure any machine you are interested in buying is eligible. Then compare the market price of this equipment with the Department’s standard costings. Grant aid will be paid on market price or Department costing, whichever is lower.

Note that all mounted and trailed machines must be fitted with road lights. Drills can place seed only or seed and fertiliser. All GPS units referred to must record location and route to within 200mm or better and must be able to upload data.

Tractor steering: standard cost = €9,400 (new fit), €10,800 (retrofit)

GPS steering may be fitted to either a new tractor or retrofitted to an existing one.

The system must be able to automatically guide the tractor down the field parallel to the previous pass at the required distance. It is not required to be able to turn the tractor on the headland. It must be accurate to within a distance of 200mm, or better. Lightbar systems are not eligible.

The unit must include a display screen, GPS receiver, control unit and tractor steering control. It must be able to record the path of the tractor and field details.

Physically, the steering control must be either a “steering wheel spinner” system or connect directly into the tractor’s power steering system.

Combine yield monitor – standard cost €3,300

This can be fitted to a new combine or retrofitted to an existing one. It must include a display screen, GPS receiver and control unit. It must be able to record and upload data such as the path of the combine, field shape and dimensions, crop yield, etc.

GPS for fertiliser spreaders – standard cost €11,300

Grant aid is available for GPS units going on new spreaders, trailed and mounted. Note that the spreader itself is not eligible for grant aid. Neither is retrofit of GPS to an existing spreader.

The GPS unit must be able to control the rate of fertiliser application, and the width of spread of the fertiliser to both left and right independently.

In addition, the system must control the turning on and off of the fertiliser spreader when approaching and leaving a headland. It must have at least four nominal applications widths, which can be switched between while in motion. The GPS unit must include a display screen, GPS receiver, control unit and weighing system. It must record route taken, application rate and spreading width.

New sprayers

Sprayers must be CE-marked and compliant with latest EU standards. All sprayers require in-cab electronic control, boom height control, wash tank, hand wash tank, chemical induction bowl, internal rinsing nozzle and a minimum of three boom segments. Actual tank volume must exceed nominal volume by at least 5%.

If GPS-controlled, sprayers must have boom segments not exceeding 3m, and at the end of each boom the segments must not exceed 750mm (three nozzles) in length. For sprayers with a boom width greater than 24m, the central two boom sections may be up to 6m in length.

The GPS system must be capable of turning individual sections on and off during operation. The GPS unit must be able to record application rates and locations.

All self-propelled sprayers must be GPS-controlled.

Minimum disturbance tillage

PTO-driven cultivation equipment is not eligible for grant aid. On pneumatic drills, the fan may be PTO-driven.

Tine and disc cultivators must be designed so that following one pass with the machine the full required cultivation has been completed. A packer must be fitted at the back of the machine. Additional rows of levelling paddles or light tines may be included. Machines can be trailed or mounted.

Disc stubble cultivators

All discs must be suitable for primary, deep cultivation. There must be a minimum of two rows of discs fitted to each machine, with a minimum clearance of 450mm between the underside of the frame and the lowest point of the discs.

Tine stubble cultivator

All tines must be suitable for primary, deep cultivation. There must be a minimum of three rows of tines fitted to each machine, with a minimum clearance of 700mm between the underside of the frame and the lowest point of the tines.

Combined tine and disc cultivator

All discs and tines must be suitable for primary deep cultivation. The tines and discs shall be the same as for the individual tine or disc cultivators above. There must be a minimum of three rows of discs/tines (mininum two rows discs and one row tines) fitted to each machine.

A minimum clearance of 700mm is required for tines and 450mm for discs.

Seed broadcaster

These are to be used to establish green cover following on from primary cultivation. They must be mounted on a cultivator. The units must be able to be controlled directly from the cab of the tractor.

Min till drill

All discs and tines must be suitable for primary deep cultivation. The tines and discs must be the same as for the individual tine or disc cultivators.

  • Minimum two rows of discs or two rows of tines.
  • Minimum clearance of 700mm between the underside of the frame and the lowest point of the tines.
  • Minimum 450mm clearance for discs.
  • Direct drill

    Direct drills must place seed into the soil causing minimum disturbance to the soil surface. There must be a minimum clearance of 700mm between the underside of the frame and the lowest point of the tine coulters and a minimum of 450mm clearance for disc coulters.

    There must be a packer to compact the soil around the seed – this can be continuous or run individually behind each coulter.

    Strip till drill

    Strip till drills must cultivate only the narrow strip of soil where the seed is to be placed. There must be a minimum clearance of 700mm between the underside of the frame and the lowest point of the tine coulters. There must be packer to compact the soil around the seed – this can be continuous or run individually behind each coulter.

    Heavy Cambridge roller/furrow press

    Rollers must have steel or cast iron rings, designed to compact the seedbed. Rings must be at least 500mm diameter. A row of levelling paddles or light tines may be included on the Cambridge roller/furrow press, as an optional extra.