Guy Shelby has been achieving record high yields while farming difficult soils at sea level and getting on top of a blackgrass problem. Guy puts this success down to his switch to strip-tillage three years ago when he bought a Mzuri Pro-Til 3T. The move resulted in considerable cost savings and soil improvement. Subsequently, he has been achieving 5t/ha yields on oilseed rape and over 10t/ha on wheat which is quite an achievement, given that Guy is dealing with difficult soils at sea level and a blackgrass problem.
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Since switching to strip tillage in the spring of 2012, RP Collier Farms in Sta ffordshire has seen its costs and labour go down signi ficantly. The farm’s main motivation for investing in a new drill, however, was the desire to improve the soil structure, an objective which has been more than achieved according to the farm owner.
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Strip tillage is having an addictive effect in one part of the English/Welsh border.
John Joseph introduced it on his own farm a few years ago – and now drills crops for a number of farmers in the area who looked at his fields and liked what they saw!
And there is much to be liked, too.
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Ditching a conventional tillage system for a one-pass strip-till drill is helping one Yorks farmer get his tired soils into shape.
“Knocking heavy, unyielding clay soils into an acceptable-looking seedbed is rarely an easy or cheap task.But when you’re based in a wetter-than-ideal location with poor land drainage, the job is even less entertaining…”
Find out how it’s bedding in.
Mzuri confirmed attendance at Tillage-Live event taking place on 14th September at Monks Kirby, Warwickshire, where the manufacturer will be presenting their low disturbance tillage equipment. Specifically, visitors to the Mzuri’s demonstration plot will be able to see Mzuri’s new Pro-Til ‘direct till drill’ concept and the Rezult straw rake. The company’s technical staff will also be at hand on James Green Farm Machinery’s stand to advise farmers on best strip-till practice techniques.
New to Tillage-Live show, Mzuri will use its working plot to showcase its innovative ‘direct till drill’ concept – a unique 3-in-1 drill which allows users to carry out strip tilling, direct drilling and precision seeding with just one piece of equipment. The one pass drill offers the ultimate flexibility which is awarded by its wide choice of seeding coulters, some of which will be fitted onto the Pro-Til 3T Select – Mzuri’s trailed three metre model – on demonstration. Designed to create minimum soil disturbance, the Pro-Til Select produces a narrow tilled band to ensure quick and even seed germination whist leaving the rest of the ground intact to aid soil structure. Capable of drilling most combinable crops, the direct till drill will feature pivoting leading discs, auto-reset breaker legs complete with wing and fertiliser placement option and staggered reconsolidating wheels, to ensure the perfect seeding environment. The patented seeding legs on the machine have a 900mm clearance for maximum trash flow and pivot side to side to ensure the seed is always placed centrally to the seeding zone. The legs will feature a ground-following wheel which delivers exceptional seeding depth accuracy, with a pressure ram for optimum soil reconsolidation. A combination of these unique features significantly reduces the risks typically associated with crop establishment, which include hair pinning or uneven germination.
Seed delivery is from a dual 3400 litre hopper (60:40 seed:fertiliser ratio) with variable seed metering unit and seed flow monitors also fitted as standard. The Select model is capable of placing seed in 33.3cm or 66.6cm row spacings and in single or dual bands, depending on coulter configuration, to best suit the crop. The Pro-Til direct till drill can go directly into straw stubble and previous crop residue, as well as into ploughed seedbed. The Pro-Til 3T Select model retails from £63,840.00.
Mzuri will also be demonstrating the Rezult – the 7.5m low disturbance tilth generator. Fitted with 24 front cutting discs and 5 rows of extra-long 28” tines, the Rezult marks a major advance in the preparation of stale seedbeds and straw management. The light tilth produced by the machine is ideal for stimulating weed germination and has proven to be highly effective in controlling black-grass, as well as disturbing slug habitats. Followed by a blanket application of non-selective herbicide, this creates the perfect environment for drilling. The Rezult can also be fitted with a Stocks seeder which makes for a cheap, yet highly effective method of establishing cover crops. Retail prices start at £13,990.00.
Switching to a strip-tillage approach has substantially increased soil organic matter and improved the heavy clay soils on the Worcestershire farm owned by machinery innovator Martin Lole.
He believes strip-drilling direct into stubbles has overcome poor soil structure caused by ploughing and excessive cultivation, reduced capital investment in machinery and cut labour costs.
It has also increased crop yields,adding to gains in profit margin.