TIMING IS CRITICAL FOR EFFECTIVE STUBBLE MANAGEMENT
Timing is everything in farming and 2018 demonstrated just what a huge difference even a few days can make when it comes to creating the ideal conditions for crop establishment, writes Jeff Claydon, who farms in Suffolk and designed the Claydon Opti-Till® System. In the last issue of Direct Driller magazine, I highlighted the importance of effective stubble management in any efficient, sustainable, profitable production system. In this...
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Direct Driller Magazine
Direct Driller is a new farming magazine, designed by farmers for farmers to educate and inform the industry about no-till techniques
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This month we are at the 10th annual Oxford Real Farming Conference. First up we hear the inspirational story of 5000+ women who are now practising natural agriculture, or no-cost agriculture, on farms and smallholdings across Southern Zambia. Back in the UK we get the lowdown on biofertilisers that provide food for microbes, and we hear the ups and downs of a regenerative farming journey from a young farmer in Somerset. Thanks to our supporters Rebel Kitchen, for making this episode...
FARMERAMA: INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR TODAY’S FARMER
By Olivia Oldham, Farmerama Do you learn the most talking to other farmers? Don’t always find the time to get out there and hear what’s going on? Well that’s what we are here for.
I am part of Farmerama Radio, an award-winning podcast released once a month sharing the voices of farmers in the UK and around the world. Farmerama is committed to positive ecological futures for the earth and its people, and we believe that the farmers of the...
Soil Calcium and Soil Health – the Connection?
By James Warne, Soil First Farming
I recently attended the appropriately entitled ‘Calcium Conference’ which served to remind me of the importance to distinguish between calcium and pH balance within our soils, and also the importance of calcium to the dairy cow. How easily we confuse the use of calcium has with the role of pH management within soils simply because we regularly test soil pH and then apply a calcium containing product to...
Biofil - Liquid Organic Soil Inoculant - now in the UK
BioFil is a liquid organic bacterial soil inoculant which has been used by Hungarian farmers for more than 5 years with great results. The products are finally being launched in the UK and will be available from Farm Marketplace from January 2019. Research with pH-specific soil microbes commenced in Hungary more than 12 years ago, when scientists of BioFil Ltd recognised that there was a need to find a way to grow crops in soils with...
Drill Manufacturers in Focus - John Deere 750A
New drill & mobile app developments from John Deere John Deere latest drill and mobile app developments are both designed to improve machine efficiency and productivity at lower operating costs. The new ProSeries opener for the 750A All-Till drill will be available from January 2019 and can be retrofitted to existing machines. This replaces the 90 Series opener that has been a feature of the drill since its introduction in the mid1990s...
Farmer Focus - Simon Cowell
I have been farming using zero-till and biological methods for fifteen years and making my own compost has always been an integral part of the system. There are lots of biological inoculants on the market but if your soil is not in a good enough condition to live and multiply, they will soon die out. On the other hand, if your soil is in the right condition, the desired microbes will most likely be there anyway. What is unique to compost is that it is a way...
Introductions
Mike Donovan - Editor
Homo sapiens are hard-wired to be critical and suspicious of the unknown. We apply the maxim ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ where we can, and look for excuses to maintain the status quo. It applies to farming methods. The big gaps in no-till knowledge slow the progress of those who are direct drilling. They provide our conventional cousins the excuse to continue as they are. It would be good to have the knowledge gaps filled and this is where this...
For all those who has already registered, you will have already received your magazines - we hope you are enjoying them. Over the next 6 weeks we will also add all the content here. If you wish to raise any questions about articles or suggest new topics for articles then we would appreciate the feedback.
Here is what to expect from the Magazine:
CONTENTS ISSUE 4
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4...
A lot of the attention on no-till and zerotill is on cereal grain production and it is very encouraging as a manufacturer to see so many enquiries for our Boss drills both in the UK and Europe. Less focus is on the fresh foods we enjoy every day such as root veg, salads, potatoes, sugar beet and energy crops such as maize.
All of these generally have very intensive tillage regimes as the “risk” is seen too high to venture off the beaten path. As well as being a shareholder in Sly as an...
FARM WALKS WITH THE SOIL FARMERS OF THE YEAR 2018
The winners of the FCCT Soil Farmer of the Year competition opened their gates over four days and provided a veritable masterclass in managing soils. Spanning a range of soil types, management systems and enterprises, attending farmers gained insights into their award winning management and a better understanding as to why these farms had been picked as the top three in this year’s competition.
The Soil Farmer of the Year Competition...
To bale or not to bale
Life is full of compromises! Any of you who have been married for more than a few years will know this is to be true! I love my wife dearly and without her I’d be completely lost. Not only is she a wonderful woman, mother and cook. She also doubles as farm secretary, go-getter, deliverer of harvest lunches and dinners and the one who knows exactly when I’m doing things wrong! Unfortunately she’s almost always right! Next year we will celebrate our 18 year...
NEW BIOSTIMULANT PRODUCTS PRODUCE EXCELLENT RESULTS IN 2018 DROUGHT CONDITIONS
British biotechnology company, AminoA Biostimulants launched their new liquid range of biostimulant products In July 2017 , so harvest 2018 has been an excellent test of their performance in some extreme conditions.
AminoA FLO is a highly concentrated l-isomer amino-acid complex developed for the large scale arable farmer, and is manufactured in the UK. It contains synthetics and the latest crop penetrant...
The Triton seed drill from Cambridge is designed to sow all seeds, into all soils, in all weathers. The Triton sidepress seed drill has 12 patent applied features which enable seed to be set securely with air and rooting zones into ideal conventional seed beds or when direct drilling into wet clay in winter the beat black-grass. With milling wheat at £200/t and rape at £330/t the Triton allows farmers to go back to a highly profitable wheat and rape rotation.
The Triton seed drill often...
A new CEBIS terminal, an extended model range and optional hill-side levelling are among the highlights of the new-generation TUCANO from CLAAS. For the first time in this range, models with MONTANA hill-side levelling are available. In addition, the operator assistance systems AUTO CROP FLOW, which controls the crop flow to allow the combine to be worked to its maximum potential, and AUTO SLOPE, which adjusts the fan speed to ensure minimal losses and optimum grain cleanliness, are now also...
Outcome from the Spring 2018 Earthworm Survey
Written by Jackie Stroud, Rothamsted
Earthworms are primary candidates for national soil health monitoring as they are ecosystem engineers that benefit both food production and ecosystem services associated with soil security. Supporting farmers to monitor soil health could help to achieve the policy aspiration of sustainable soils by 2030 in England; however, little is known about how to overcome participation barriers, appropriate...
#30M Worms Method
Equipment
• Spade & ruler • Mat
• Pot for worms
• Bottle water
• Booklet & pen
Procedure
5 soil pits per field using standard W shape field sampling
1. Dig out a 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm soil pit and place soil on mat (30 sec)
2. Hand-sort soil (5-minutes), placing each whole earthworm into the pot. Note if pencil size vertical burrows are present and tick/cross on the results sheet
3. Count the total number (adults and juveniles) of earthworms and write down...
WANT TO ASSESS YOUR SOIL HEALTH? TRY THE FREE #30MINWORMS SURVEY
If you think of soil health, the best place to start is with ecosystem engineers – earthworms. The results from the spring pilot farmland earthworm survey indicated that turning over a spadeful of soil in any field, and you are highly likely to find at least one earthworm.
There are 3 types of worms that make up the earthworm community in farmland soils, the first type are the small (often matchstick sized) red worms...
AHDB: Soil Assessment Methods
Soil Health
Farmers and growers are concerned about the current health of their soils. Most farmers and growers understand the importance of soil health for the productivity, sustainability and profitability of their business, but many face significant challenges when interpreting results from the laboratory analysis or when choosing suitable methods for assessing the health of their soils beyond the standard pH, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium...
Benchmarking Costs in Rural Businesses
Land Family Business were invited by Groundswell and Procam to benchmark a group of farmers who have been practicing no-till crop establishment for several years as part of conservation agriculture. Using our own client benchmarking process, it gives the opportunity to assess the financial performance of no-till conservation agriculture – against other no tillers and also against conventional crop establishment farming businesses. The results have...
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Tractor Chat #01
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Tractor Chat #01 - with Direct Driller Magazine Farmer Focus writer Phil Rowbottom
Discussing direct drilling wheat, Oil seed rape growing in the UK, Fendt 724 tractor and his Sky Easy Drill.
Discussing direct drilling wheat, Oil seed rape growing in the UK, Fendt 724 tractor and his Sky Easy Drill.