MATCH CULTIVATIONS TO FARM RESOURCES
MATCH CULTIVATIONS TO FARM RESOURCES
Most cultivation techniques
are developed according to
a farms resources and
conditions.Two Velcourt
farm managers have
developed autumn cultivations
with weed control and
horsepower in mind
IAN Gaunt manages 1533ha of Grade 1 and 2 silty clay loams for Eau Brink Farms, Tilney All Saints near Kings Lynn.Over half is under wheat, alternated on heavy land between rape, beans, second wheat and set-aside – lighter soils include sugar beet in the rotation.
"We normally start drilling cereals around Sep 12, and following the broad-leaved crops we try to produce a finer, firmer, slug-free seedbed without the plough," says Mr Gaunt.
But he doesnt refer to his system as "reduced" tillage; there are a number of operations involved. A week after harvest – to allow the rape to chit – he pulls a 7-tine V-form subsoiler with a 285hp Challenger 65C then takes his Quivogne discs and Cousins double packer over the field using the smaller 270hp Magnum, repeating this about ten days later if required. "This gets the right depth of seedbed on the heavier soils, and produces a second volunteer chit which we spray off with Roundup plus T80, or Sting ECO which can work out cheaper, and has a broader spectrum."
The 6m Galucho Tilthmaster goes in front of the 6.6m Simba Freeflow drill, again pulled by the Magnum.
Need to plough
Ploughing has its place at Eau Brink particularly in wet autumns. The only constant in Mr Gaunts establishment regime is the Freeflow drill, which is used across the whole farm. "If its wet after the peas and beans then we have to plough," he says. "Then if its dry enough well press, followed by one or two passes with the Tilthmaster and the drill."
However, brome in particular makes it difficult to farm without the plough on the four farms at Stamford managed by Simon Boughton for Velcourt. Yet he still uses stale seedbeds to take out volunteers, along with some blackgrass and brome.
"On the lighter land we mostly use a plough-based system," he explains. "Thats one pass with the plough and press, followed by a Sulki power-harrow mounted combination drill, all pulled with the 135hp Case MX135. On the medium and heavy land well use a Simba Freeflow after the plough-press, and some minimum cultivation.
"Cleaning up the field with Roundup plus T80 and, this year Sting ECO, gives us that head start on in-crop herbicides, particularly in controlling the blackgrass, brome and volunteers," he says.
"But the heavy land is still too dirty to go down the reduced tillage route at this stage. You just have to look at brome and blackgrass-infested fields of the Cotswolds in the seventies to see how direct drilling approaches went wrong, mainly due to a lack of information on grass weed control before drilling."
He uses a belt and braces approach to brome, and if necessary creates a stale seedbed twice, with a plough in between."It may seem intensive, but its far cheaper than being forced into using selective herbicides once the crop is drilled, or ending up with brome infested headlands," he says.
Volunteers
Post-rape, the medium land has no cultivation other than stubble topping. It is then left to green up with volunteers before being sprayed off and ploughed. "HGCA work shows that this no cultivation approach leads to the highest germination of rape volunteers.
"But on heavier land, we plough straight behind the combine. This will cause problems with rape volunteers later on, but its horses for courses here, and our aim is to start the creation of a seed bed for the drill as early as possible."
For this Mr Boughton uses the 276hp Case 7250, to subsoil the tramlines prior to ploughing, then presses with a 6m Knight triple press – or Simba toptilth on very heavy land – pulled by the 200hp Case 7220.
Reduced tillage takes a greater part in rape establishment. Only tramlines and compacted areas are subsoiled – "we dont recreationally subsoil". This is followed by two passes with Simba 2B discs and packer, again creating the stale seedbed and the correct tilth for the drill.
"Provided I can maintain yield and a clean farm, using a combination of control methods – chemical and cultural – during the inter-crop period helps me move further down the minimum tillage route," Mr Boughton concludes. *