Guinness World Records™ has confirmed AGCO and its partners have set a new record for the ‘most spring barley planted in 24 hours’.

The official record states: “The most spring barley seed planted in 24 hours is 74,347kg covering an area of 571.9ha by an unmodified AGCO Challenger MT 865 tractor, pulling an 18.35m wide Horsch seeder at an Agro-Soyuz farm in the Sinelnikovo region, Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine from 23-24 April 2003.”

Before being approved by Guinness World Records™, all record bids must pass the organisation’s stringent verification process. Two independent witnesses, both professors at top Ukrainian Agricultural institutes, monitored the entire drilling operation. They also inspected the equipment and confirmed it was as stated and unmodified. Staff from the professors’ organisations also manually measured the area to verify it matched that computed by the satellite maps generated by the Challenger’s DGPS system.

Alongside this rigorous monitoring procedure, AGCO was also required to submit documentary evidence, including video footage and still photographs. The independent verifiers also checked the seedrate and the working quality during the drilling as well as returning after germination to assess the establishment.
AGCO and its partners - Agro-Soyuz, Beeline Technologies and Horsch - were all insistent that the record bid had to be a true agricultural operation. This key condition meant the crop was sown in a normal seedbed at the Agro-Soyuz farm and that it was drilled to the company’s usual exacting standards.

Agro-Soyuz is one of Ukraine’s leading farming companies and is keen to promote how using modern technology can help other enterprises in the region. The world record, for example, potent illustration of how powerful, modern machinery can not only bring enormous increases in workrates, but is also capable of establishing crops accurately and cost effectively.

The farm also uses precision agriculture to help improve efficiency. Using Auto-Guide automatic steering on the Challenger during the record bid increased outputs by up to 20%. This precise system, awarded a Silver Medal at the Agritechnica Show, reduced overlaps to a few centimetres while allowing the tractor to work in absolutely straight lines at speeds of up to 17km/hr. Not having to concentrate on steering, kept the drivers fresh and alert and meant they were free to check the drill and tractor’s operation, ensuring both were working at peak performance.

“While the record is an extraordinary achievement, it is actually a typical day for a Challenger. These tractors are designed and built specifically for this type of high-output operation. Challenger MT 800s consistently deliver workrates similar to those achieved in the record, providing unrivalled performance and economy,” says Andrew Rabbet, Challenger General Product Marketing Manager for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

World record facts box

Total area sown: 571.9ha
Work rate: 24.3ha/hr
Fuel consumption: 3.84 litres/ha
Total fuel use: 2,203 litres
Tractor load: 92%
Seed rate: 130kg/ha (total 74,347t)
Fertiliser rate: 370kg/ha (total 211.6t)