Purpose-Built for Every Crop: How Our Three-Machine Sowing Fleet Is Configured
By Yield Australia Production Team ·
Expanding to a three-machine sowing fleet wasn't simply about adding volume — it was an opportunity to think carefully about specialisation. Commercial vegetable seedling production spans an enormous range of seed types, sizes, shapes, and germination sensitivities. A single machine trying to do everything well is a compromise. Three machines, each optimised for a defined role, is the right answer.
The Fleet at a Glance
Our sowing floor now runs one Williames Hi-Tech seeder and two Urbinati precision seeders. The Williames has been the workhorse of our operation for many seasons — it's built for high-throughput, consistent performance on larger-seed brassica and leafy programs. The two Urbinati machines bring a different capability: finer calibration, tighter seed singulation, and the ability to handle smaller, more delicate seeds with the precision those crops demand.
Matching Machine to Crop
Our sowing team has spent considerable time dialling in each machine's configuration to the crop categories it handles most frequently. While we retain the flexibility to reconfigure for unusual orders, day-to-day production runs through a purposeful allocation:
- Williames Hi-Tech — brassica and bulk leafy programs — High-volume runs with consistent seed sizes benefit from the Williames' proven throughput capacity and reliability. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and silverbeet are a natural fit.
- Urbinati #1 — fine-seeded and specialty crops — Crops like celery, parsley, basil, leek, and certain Asian vegetables require the most precise sowing parameters. The Urbinati's fine calibration capability handles these without the skip rates you'd see on a machine tuned for larger seeds.
- Urbinati #2 — solanaceae, cucurbits, and custom programs — Tomatoes, capsicums, chillies, eggplant, cucumber, and zucchini have distinct seed geometry and germination requirements. Having a dedicated machine also creates bandwidth for grower-specific custom configurations that would otherwise create scheduling conflicts.
Grower-Specific Requirements, Built In
Several of our long-term grower partners have specific program requirements — particular tray formats, sowing depths, or substrate configurations that differ from our standard offering. With three machines, we now have the operational bandwidth to accommodate custom configurations without delaying other growers' programs.
If you've previously been told that a specific configuration isn't available at certain times of year due to scheduling constraints, it's worth having that conversation again. Our expanded capacity changes what's possible.
The Detail That Drives Results
Growers who visit the nursery often remark on how much attention goes into what might seem like small details — drum speed, suction pressure, seed singulation checks. Each machine in our fleet is calibrated to the crop it handles, so those parameters are set before your order reaches the sowing floor — not adjusted on the run.
When every tray is sown with the right precision for that crop — correct depth, correct spacing, consistent seed-to-cell placement — the germination performance you see in your paddock reflects the quality of the starting point, not variance in the sowing process.
To discuss your specific crop program and how our sowing configuration can be tailored to your requirements, speak with your Yield Australia agronomist or call 1300 094 353.