“This is the 25th year for Practical Farm Ideas magazine, and it’s working out really well,” says editor and founder Mike Donovan, whose office is in the centre of Whitland.

Last year he researched and wrote an article on the development of an autonomous tractor in Vol 24-3, which won the prestigious Institute of Agricultural Engineers IAgrE award, presented by their chief executive, Alistair Taylor.

The tractor looks like a giant Lego brick, with no cab or steering wheel, and is controlled remotely. Not only is there no cab or steering wheel, there’s no conventional gearbox. Instead it’s driven by two 220HP diesel-electric units, with motors on each wheel hub.

Why diesel-electric? The units are fuel efficient as the engine is always at optimal revs, there are very few parts to go wrong and they are easy to replace, and they have a service life of 25,000 hours, far greater than the tractors made today. It’s proven technology, as diesel-electric propels many types of railway carriage.

On June 30, Mike is presenting a talk to a national No-Till conference in Hertfordshire. This follows four years of continuous on-farm research talking to farmers who have made the move from conventional crop establishment to direct drilling in order to increase soil fertility and reduce erosion. The Soil+ section in each issue has become an important source of info.