[Farm Machinery Spotlighted at KIEMSTA] Bulls Unveils Soybean Seeder That Handles Fertilization in One Pass

The busiest time in paddy-field soybean farming is around sowing. To make ridges, spread fertilizer, plant seeds and apply herbicide, a tractor has to pass over the same field several times. As cultivation methods that control weeds with herbicides instead of plastic mulching have taken hold, this is why attention is turning to integrated machines that finish all these tasks in one pass.

Agricultural machinery specialist Bulls showcased a model combining a front-mounted fertilizer applicator with its BG-2400CG soybean seeder at the 2026 Korea International Exhibition of Machinery, Equipment, Science and Technology for Agriculture (KIEMSTA), held at EXCO in Daegu from the 4th to the 7th. Connected to a tractor, the equipment forms two ridges through rotary tillage, plants soybeans in four rows at once—two rows per ridge—and also sprays herbicide. By adding the fertilizer applicator, fertilization is also bundled into a single operation. The applicator drops fertilizer onto the ground from the front, and the following rotary unit mixes it with soil and pushes it underground. Because soybeans are planted after ridges are formed above it, the fertilizer is evenly distributed in the soil inside the ridges. Lee Byung-min, general team leader at Bulls, explained that the four separate jobs of ridge forming, fertilizing, soybean seeding and herbicide spraying can be completed in one pass, reducing work time and labor costs by about 70%. 

This is the first time Bulls has attached a fertilizer applicator to a soybean seeder. Bulls has been producing standalone front-mounted fertilizer applicators since last year, and development began after farmers who had used them asked for the applicator to be mounted on seeders as well. In response to similar requests, the applicator has also been applied to garlic and onion seeders. Team leader Lee said, “In the past, soybeans were grown under plastic mulch, but because of the cost and time burden of laying and collecting the plastic, managing weeds with herbicides has recently become common,” adding, “Farmers asked us to put fertilizer in right away during rotary tillage because it is effective.”

 

Because ridge forming is needed regardless of crop type, farmers growing other crops who visited the exhibition also showed interest in Bulls’ ridge-forming performance. Jung Dae-hyun, who grows garlic in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, said, “After using the Bulls ridge former, the ridges came out high and the forming was smoother than with other products,” adding, “Ridge forming is a common task for soybeans, onions and other crops, so it offers advantages across many crops.”

The fertilizer applicator has three fertilizer tanks, allowing each tank to spread fertilizer separately and uniformly, and it is equipped with remote-control operation and an automatic one-touch function. When the optional GPS ground-speed linkage is installed, it spreads more when the tractor moves faster and less when it moves more slowly, keeping the application rate per unit area consistent. If fertilizer does not discharge properly, an alarm sounds immediately.

The seeding unit includes a “missed-seeding alert system.” If soybeans fail to drop because of a malfunction or other issue, a light comes on in the control box near the tractor driver’s seat and an alarm sounds, allowing the operator driving in front to notice the missed seeding immediately.

Herbicide spraying is divided into two types: granular and liquid. The liquid type carries 500 liters of water (about 500 kg) in two 250-liter water tanks, making the equipment heavy and requiring a 110-horsepower-class tractor, while the granular type can be operated with a 90-horsepower-class tractor. Team leader Lee said, “Liquid herbicide is a little more effective, but when the water runs out, you have to go refill it or have a water truck come,” adding, “Granules are much easier to work with because you only have to pour them in.” The company explained that as herbicide performance has improved recently, more farms believe the granular type alone is sufficient.

Work capacity is 4,000 to 5,000 pyeong per eight-hour day (about 13,200 to 16,500㎡). According to team leader Lee, the full configuration including the fertilizer applicator costs around 30 million won and is eligible for government subsidies for agricultural machinery purchases. Seeding and weeding equipment has already been widely supplied to farms, and because the fertilizer-applicator-combined model was introduced for the first time this year, the company expects full-fledged demand to emerge ahead of next spring’s sowing season. Bulls cited large-scale farms in major soybean-growing regions such as Gimje in North Jeolla Province, Naju in South Jeolla Province and Gimcheon in North Gyeongsang Province as its main potential customers.

Efforts to develop overseas markets are also accelerating. Bulls signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with a Philippine government agency related to agriculture and developed equipment customized to local conditions, and last month it also took part in an agricultural machinery exhibition in the Philippines. Team leader Lee said, “Exports are gradually increasing,” adding, “Because we have customized the equipment for the Philippines, visible results should appear from next year.”