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.
Mzuri, a Worcestershire-based manufacturer of strip tillage equipment, has recently appointed George Buchan as an agent for Scotland. The appointment has been made in response to a strong grower interest in the Mzuri one pass system, following its fast-growing success in England and wider Europe.
A Scotsman with 20 years of experience in the field, George has a proven track record in agricultural machinery and parts sales which he acquired whilst working for a leading parts supplier and his local tractor dealership. Responsible for developing Mzuri’s dealer network and growing the brand in Scotland, George will also assist with machinery demonstrations and provide technical support.
Mzuri has already had a strong start to the season with a number of end user demonstrations and new dealer appointments. Commenting on the market reaction, George Buchan said: “We’ve had a great response from the very start, with farmers lining up to have the first demonstrations done on their farms. The response has been so high we literally ran out of time to complete the volume of demos needed to be done for spring work.
“We’ve appointed three dealers so far – Alan MacKay Machinery, Murphy Agricultural and TM Simpson – who are very keen to move forward with the Mzuri concept and have already proven themselves to be worthy business partners. It is a unique system with the potential to transform the future of Scottish farming and I’m really proud to be flying the Mzuri flag in Scotland.”
Mzuri, specialists in conservation tillage, have confirmed their attendance at Groundswell show and conference. Focusing on reduced cultivation practices, the event will be taking place in Hitchin, Hertfordshire on 30th June. As well as showcasing their innovative single pass drill system, Mzuri’s technical staff will be on their stand to advise visitors on best strip tillage techniques and successful soil management. Visitors will also get a chance to see the Pro-Til 3T Select – Mzuri’s trailed three metre machine in action.
Mzuri’s system is based on three key elements – selective tillage, leaving crop residue on the surface and wider row spacing – a combination of which, according to the manufacturer, allows growers to achieve the best output at a reduced cost. Mzuri’s Pro-Til Select one-pass drills cultivate a narrow strip of soil and place a band of fertiliser under the seed to aid root development. The machines award high leg clearance for maximum surface straw flow which helps to improve soil fertility, retain moisture and prevent erosion. Pro-Til Select offers unparalleled seeding depth accuracy for even germination and dual soil reconsolidation for best seed to soil contact. Additionally, the Mzuri Select series gives users a choice of 333mm and 666mm row spacings to best suit the crop – a feature that provides the plant with the optimum level of light interception. Getting the light right is essential for healthy crop development and wider spacing in some crops such as oilseed rape and maize is an important contributing factor towards higher yields.
In addition to the above mentioned features, the trailed Pro-Til Select 3T unit in demonstration will be fitted with the new ISOBUS compatible drill management system with variable seed rate function.
Also on display will be Mzuri’s Rezult straw rake which is ideal for stale seedbed preparation. Featuring extra-long 28” tines, Rezult produces a light tilth to stimulate weed germination and disturb slug habitats. Followed by a blanket application of non-selective herbicide, this creates the perfect environment for drilling.
Specialists in conservation tillage, Mzuri Ltd have announced their plans for the Cereals event. Visitors to the manufacturer’s stand 1000 will be able to see the newly updated 6 metre Pro-Til Select strip-till drill, the 4 metre trailed Pro-Til unit and the Rezult straw rake, all of which will be on show at the company’s demonstration plot.
Pro-Til Select 6T is a unique 6 metre one-pass soil cultivation system that allows users to seed in a choice of 353mm or 706mm widths in order to maximise on light penetration all the way down to the root of the crop, resulting in a healthier, bushier plant and higher yields. In addition to the variable inter-row setting, the Select series offers all the benefits associated with the standard Pro-Til machine, specifically, high leg clearance enabling it to work with large amounts of surface straw without blockages, independent ground-following leading and seeding tines to ensure a clean strip of friable soil and excellent seed depth control and reconsolidating wheels behind each tine for perfect seed to soil contact.
The Select 6T and Pro-Til 4T models on display will be fitted with the latest design spring-loaded pivoting discs which award even better straw clearance than before and a fertiliser placement option behind the leading tine. The units will also feature the new electro-hydraulic drill management system which offers full ISOBUS compatibility, variable seed rate integration and monitoring, improved hydraulic efficiencies and ease of use.
For farmers with a blackgrass or slug problem, Mzuri will be showcasing its Rezult straw rake. Incorporating five rows of extra-long 28” tines with optional leading discs to chop surface residue, the Rezult is an ideal tool for producing light tilth, disturbing the slug populations and chitting the weeds prior to chemical treatment.
Used as part of the wider soil management strategy, the Mzuri system can quickly improve soil fertility and increase worm counts, as only a narrow band of soil is tilled leaving the previous crop residue and straw on the surface and the untilled soil structure intact. Other benefits include reduced soil compaction through reduced traffic, better moisture retention and improved drainage which subsequently result in significant financial savings and improved yields.
Andrew Pope farms in the North West near Preston and was already in the market for a more sustainable establishment method when he came across the Mzuri system. Andrew chose the Mzuri Pro-Til to reduce his costs and improve the drainage of his soils in wet weather and hasn’t looked back since.
“After seeing Martin’s article in the Farmers Weekly in 2012, the single pass concept appealed to me as we had already started to move away from the plough and combination drill and were trying a minimum cultivation approach. At the time I was using a ridged tine drill however, we were sometimes still having to plough and Martin’s design for the Pro-Til shouted out to me as a cheaper alternative to crop establishment for cereals.
Since then, the Mzuri system has improved our soil structure and has given us the confidence to spring crop if wet weather persists in the autumn to still allow us to produce strong, healthy crops. Despite struggling in the North West with wet weather, our fields are now better able to absorb rainfall due to the natural drainage caused by worms, and as a result of the more friable soil created by the strip tillage system. The benefit of not cultivating our soil and our fields staying firm, has been the ability to travel with harvest equipment and sprayers without rutting the fields, something which was a common sight of our previous plough-based system.
Whilst the Mzuri system may seem unusual for those used to intensive systems, my advice is to stick with it. From day one the Mzuri team have been fantastic, from the first Pro-Til we purchased in 2012 to our updated version in 2019. We have received unlimited support any time of the day and Mzuri listen and act on ideas and improvements as they have done over the last decade.”
S H Smiths & Sons farm in the heart of Worcestershire and have an additional contracting business catering for over 1000 acres in the surrounding area. First making the switch to Mzuri strip tillage in 2012, Roger Smith explains how the system has improved their business and their soils.
“We made the decision to switch to Mzuri Strip Tillage to save time and costs with reduced cultivations and improve the health of our soil. As an established contractor it is also important that we remain at the forefront of agricultural methods. Mzuri helped us achieve this goal.
Over the years the Mzuri system has improved our soil structure which has resulted in better yields whilst supporting time management. The most surprising benefit has been the number of worms seen looking after the soil which has been amazing since we first started with the Mzuri drill in 2012.
We have also found that by being able to place fertiliser beneath the seed and retain moisture with direct establishment, seed is supported to germinate quicker.
If I were to give one golden tip for someone thinking about converting to Mzuri Strip Tillage it would be to make your own decision about the drill. On ‘nice’ soils, you will see advantages straight away, but in more challenging soils it may take a year or two to see the benefits of the soil structure and to allow the worms to start to work their magic, but you will see benefits.
As for Mzuri themselves, and they are a good company to deal with. The team have been helpful from sales to service and have never let us down.”