Abstract: A seed dispensing hopper having openings in which picker wheels are rotatably disposed. The picker wheels are disposed in a seed bin shaped to direct seed towards the picker wheels. Flexible elements rotate about an axis of the hopper and are aligned over the picker wheels. As the flexible elements rotate, they wipe the sides of the hopper. At the bottom of their rotation, the ends of the flexible elements and the teeth of the picker wheels are moving toward one another. The flexible elements engage the picker wheels as they traverse them, thereby creating an advantageous “spoon-feeding” action which ensures that even sticky or non-flowable seeds can be completely emptied from the hopper.

Abstract: A no-till drill with a novel walking beam assembly that allows the drill to be pulled over severe terrain conditions that include large rocks, fallen limbs and other large obstructions. The inventive walking beam assembly includes two independent pivot points that allow the cutting and opening disks to maintain substantially constant or continuous contact with the ground, such that the length of the furrow formed and seed deposited therein are maximized. A closing disk assembly is suspended from the rear of the drill independently from the walking beam assembly. This independent suspension allows the walking beam assembly to function without interference from the closing disks.