Latest News - May 06
23.05.06 - LITTLE MEN CAN ‘THINK BIG’
Farmers working smaller acreages now have as much opportunity to adopt reduced tillage to establish their crops as their larger-scale neighbours have had for some years, consultant Colin Stride of Stride Forward told a seminar run by Simba and Peacock & Binnington, the company’s dealer for North Lincolnshire.
This could help them manage their soils better, as farmer experience confirms that using such cultivations for several years achieves several important benefits:
“Users say their soils become more friable, easier to work, are better at processing chopped straw and have better drainage”, Mr Stride told the seminar at Caenby Corner.
Nearly half of Britain’s arable acreage is now ‘min-tilled’ with discs and presses, as opposed to inversion tillage starting with the plough, with more attention now being paid to effective soil management:
“Farmers are realising that what is good for the soil is also good for their crops. If you treat the soil right and keep it healthy it is better for the environment as well as farm profits”.
With their Cross Compliance obligations in mind, he urged farmers to identify the main soil erosion risks on their farm and consider how to mitigate them as well as how to build soil health as part of their Soil Protection Review and consider an ELS Soil Management Plan:
“Compacted soils after harvest are at highest risk. Consider chisel ploughing to leave a rough surface that is less prone to run-off, although the best way to protect soils is with healthy vegetative cover”.
Farmers should dig pits to check the state of their soils and locate any compaction: “Structure should change gradually through the profile, with fissures, root and worm channels evident. You should be able to crumble the soil itself in your hand, and there should be no sudden changes in structure which might inhibit water movement”.
He suggested existing reduce tillage users – who until now have been mainly larger-scale farmers – to re-assess their systems periodically to assess whether they might increase the benefits and savings they could make, in particular by moving to a shallower tine-based system.
The introduction of smaller machines suitable for reduced tillage was enabling those with smaller acreages and horsepower tractors to benefit:
“In the past they could not afford to switch and re-equip, but that has changed. New tools are available, like the mounted X-Press and ST bar, the smaller Terrano cultivators, and single and double DD ring presses and the Aqueel and CCR rollers.
“Smaller growers could use a DD ring press to replace the power harrow previously used to finish seedbeds on heavier soils, while the Aqueel can do the job on lighter types, or can switch to a reduced tillage system”.
Even on a 200 hectare farm with medium to heavy soils, significant savings are attainable: “If you move from a plough and power harrow based system to a plough followed by a DD ring press you might expect to save around £15/hectare, and up to 15 working days over the season.
“If you can move the whole way – from plough and power harrow to a two tine/disc cultivation passes followed by a cultivator drill like the Sprinter – then savings of around £50/ha and 32 man days are available, even on this size farm”, said Mr Stride.
