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<blockquote data-quote="llamedos" data-source="post: 2491846" data-attributes="member: 162"><p style="text-align: center">Low-disturbance direct drilling could put farm incomes</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">at risk, strip seeding pioneer warns</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]331708[/ATTACH] </p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">The current trend towards 'low-disturbance' direct drilling could be a disaster waiting to happen if used in the wrong situations and without effective stubble management techniques in place to contain weed and pest burdens. That was the key message which Suffolk farmer and agricultural engineer Jeff Claydon gave to over 150 farmers who attended the four Open Days held at Claydon Drills factory in Suffolk last week.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">Having pioneered strip seeding in the UK 14 years ago Jeff says that, despite short-term economic challenges, growers must take a long-term view to protect their key asset, namely the land they farm.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"Reducing costs is naturally at the forefront of every grower's mind because at current combinable crop prices those who use traditional establishment techniques are losing £30 to £40 per tonne. With no substantial price increases on the horizon they have to implement a more economically-sustainable method, but the key is to do so without compromising yields or the long-term viability of their business, which is why many are struggling to find the right approach for their situation. Jeff stated:</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"On my own heavy land farm we have not ploughed for 14 years, but were we doing so now it would be costing over £300/ha to establish combinable crops, compared with £51/ha using the Claydon Strip Seeding System. Despite a very intensive rotation of two wheats followed by oilseed rape, wheat yields have increased by over 1t/ha during that time and last year we averaged 13.2t/ha, with oilseed rape at 4t/ha. Weed and pest issues have also been much reduced.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"It seems that the obvious way to cut costs is simply to do nothing but direct drill and despite all the historical evidence to the contrary some growers see 'no-till' or 'low-disturbance' establishment as a panacea for reducing production costs, often not considering the agronomic drawbacks or financial risks. To be effective over time a drilling technique must work under any conditions and be combined with effective stubble management, which involves more than just having a drill that will work in chopped straw," warns Jeff, who draws parallels with what happened 40 years ago.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"Direct drilling sounds like the simplest thing in the world. It was the same back in the 1970s and 1980s when several companies introduced disc-type machines, mainly from the USA, to improve timeliness of establishment and cut costs by enabling crops to be drilled straight into stubbles after any green material had been sprayed off. Although they could work well in dry conditions and on lighter soils, these disc-type drills were complex, heavy, expensive and caused compaction.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"Basically the concept was flawed from the outset and ultimately failed in the UK because it was unsuitable for our maritime climate and heavier soils. In wet weather, for example, the slots cut by the discs smeared and filled with water, so seed simply rotted or was eaten by slugs and had to be re-drilled. That got direct drilling a bad name and most farmers went back to ploughing until, at the turn of the century, cereal prices again fell to levels which made production uneconomic and forced them to look at alternatives again."</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">MORE COST-EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">Aware of the failure of disc-type direct drills, Jeff designed a direct drill based around a twin-tine system which eliminated unnecessary cultivations, providing a more cost-effective, faster and reliable way of establishing crops into stubble, min-tilled or fully-cultivated soils.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">The key to the Claydon System is that the soil is cultivated only where absolutely necessary, in the seeding and rooting zones, creating a fine tilth which provides an ideal environment in which seed can germinate and plants put down deep roots. The remainder is left undisturbed, helping to improve fertility and creating a slow release of nutrients so that plants can develop their full potential. Soils are left well-structured and better able to support the weight of following machinery: such as sprayers and fertiliser spreaders, while this technique is also highly beneficial where it is essential to conserve moisture to get seed off to the best possible start and where soil erosion would otherwise be a problem.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"We have proved that direct drilling can work very well, but only because we quickly identified that it must be done correctly and in combination with effective stubble management to contain weeds and slugs," Jeff explains. "For the first two or three years we simply used the drill which I had designed directly into untouched stubbles. Mechanically it had no problems in dealing with any conditions, but I soon realised that to get the best results and avoid a build-up of weed and pest issues I had to manage stubbles effectively, which meant developing the tools to do it.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">“Blackgrass is uppermost in many farmers' minds and some see ploughing as the solution, but if that is the case why after centuries of ploughing is blackgrass an increasing problem? Others feel that low-disturbance drilling will provide the answer and that by doing nothing apart from slot seeding blackgrass will magically disappear. Both concepts are flawed.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"All Claydon Hybrid drills can be equipped with a range of options to meet any farm's requirement, enabling one unit to cope with any crop or system, which minimises the capital investment and operating costs. For example, a twin-tine option can be specified instead of the rear seeding tine, the leading tine can be replaced with a cutting disc to minimise soil disturbance, or the seeding tine replaced with the twin-tine kit and the leading tine with a twin cutting disc. Various fertiliser options are also available to enable liquid, granular and/or micro-granular fertilisers to be placed directly into the seeded strip.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"Although we can offer various low-disturbance options to farmers who specify this, we always recommend our standard tine set-up. UK and international trials suggest that far from providing a solution, low disturbance direct drilling actually increases weed and pest problems and may ultimately make crops all but impossible to grow economically because of spiralling costs and lower yields.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"The key factors in managing blackgrass are good drainage, a high standard of stubble management and effective use of ag-chems.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"Drainage is a key consideration, as fields that lie wet are ideal for blackgrass, a marshland plant which thrives under moist, anaerobic conditions. In our experience, on heavy land at least, cover crops compound the problem by retaining moisture in the soil, providing ideal conditions for it to thrive.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"Blackgrass has to be hit hard pre-drilling using a combination of effective mechanical stubble management techniques to achieve a fine, clean seedbed and applying ag-chems at the optimum time, under the right conditions to achieve optimum control.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"We began developing the Claydon Straw Harrow in 2004 because after two years of drilling directly we found that if we left stubbles untouched and simply drilled straight into the chopped straw where the slugs lay their eggs these would then hatch and eat the growing plants. It was apparent that some form of surface soil movement was essential to control weeds and pests.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"Immediately after combining we go in with a Straw Harrow and depending on conditions in the autumn carry out two or more passes before drilling, spraying off green material with glyphosate as it flushes. Straw harrowing also helps to significantly reduce slug numbers by destroying their nests and drying out the eggs.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"The Straw Harrow disturbs the top 10-20mm of soil, creating a fine tilth which allows volunteers and blackgrass to germinate quickly. Because it is a very fast, low-cost operation the Straw Harrow can be used to hit blackgrass early, when it is at its most vulnerable. Even if you cannot see any green shoots they will be growing under the surface and harrowing when they are less than 20mm tall will achieve up to a 70% kill. Repeat this several times, whilst soil conditions allow, finishing with a late single application spray off with glyphosate and you stay on top of the problems.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"More recently, we introduced the TerraStar, a simple, low cost 6m-wide shallow cultivator which perfectly complements the Straw Harrow by creating an ideal shallow tilth that encourages volunteers and weeds to chit. When soil conditions are dry and hard this produces valuable tilth for the straw harrow to work, while greatly assisting with slug control, drainage and the incorporation of manures. Using the TerraStar and Straw Harrow allows for enhanced control of slug and weed/volunteers mechanically, reducing the need for chemical treatments, under the right soil conditions.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"The introduction of the three crop rule provides a further opportunity to reduce blackgrass through the use of spring cropping. Those who farm heavy land often avoid spring drilled crops fearing poor results but we have not found this to be the case and this year have drilled naked oats instead of spring wheat. Although we can drill early in the spring using our 6m Claydon Hybrid, we wait for perhaps two or three weeks later than most farms would to allow blackgrass more time to emerge and further improve the level of control.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">"There is no single 'right' way to establish crops, or tackle blackgrass and slugs. However, effective stubble management is critical in any situation, combined with some form of soil movement to create a shallow tilth. Great caution is required when it comes to low-disturbance direct drilling, as highlighted by the fact that farmers in the USA and Australia where this technique started are showing enormous interest in Claydon Hybrid drills and Straw Harrows to help them put right the massive problems created by years of using disc-type 'low-disturbance' equipment. Yet here we are seeing the same ideas being re-introduced to a new generation."</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">Farming Hanslope Series Grade 2 land in Suffolk, Jeff Claydon has used the system he developed to direct drill crops very successfully for 14 years. In addition to greatly reducing crop establishment costs the farm has significantly reduced the agronomic and economic impact of blackgrass through effective stubble management.</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]331710[/ATTACH] </p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">The Claydon System's twin-tine design overcomes the drawbacks of disc-type direct drills</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]331712[/ATTACH] </p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">Operating at up to 25kph, the Claydon Straw Harrow thoroughly moves the top 10-30mm of soil, allowing crop residues to dry out as well as destroying germinating volunteers, weeds and slugs prior to drilling.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="llamedos, post: 2491846, member: 162"] [CENTER]Low-disturbance direct drilling could put farm incomes at risk, strip seeding pioneer warns [ATTACH=full]331708[/ATTACH] The current trend towards 'low-disturbance' direct drilling could be a disaster waiting to happen if used in the wrong situations and without effective stubble management techniques in place to contain weed and pest burdens. That was the key message which Suffolk farmer and agricultural engineer Jeff Claydon gave to over 150 farmers who attended the four Open Days held at Claydon Drills factory in Suffolk last week. Having pioneered strip seeding in the UK 14 years ago Jeff says that, despite short-term economic challenges, growers must take a long-term view to protect their key asset, namely the land they farm. "Reducing costs is naturally at the forefront of every grower's mind because at current combinable crop prices those who use traditional establishment techniques are losing £30 to £40 per tonne. With no substantial price increases on the horizon they have to implement a more economically-sustainable method, but the key is to do so without compromising yields or the long-term viability of their business, which is why many are struggling to find the right approach for their situation. Jeff stated: "On my own heavy land farm we have not ploughed for 14 years, but were we doing so now it would be costing over £300/ha to establish combinable crops, compared with £51/ha using the Claydon Strip Seeding System. Despite a very intensive rotation of two wheats followed by oilseed rape, wheat yields have increased by over 1t/ha during that time and last year we averaged 13.2t/ha, with oilseed rape at 4t/ha. Weed and pest issues have also been much reduced. "It seems that the obvious way to cut costs is simply to do nothing but direct drill and despite all the historical evidence to the contrary some growers see 'no-till' or 'low-disturbance' establishment as a panacea for reducing production costs, often not considering the agronomic drawbacks or financial risks. To be effective over time a drilling technique must work under any conditions and be combined with effective stubble management, which involves more than just having a drill that will work in chopped straw," warns Jeff, who draws parallels with what happened 40 years ago. "Direct drilling sounds like the simplest thing in the world. It was the same back in the 1970s and 1980s when several companies introduced disc-type machines, mainly from the USA, to improve timeliness of establishment and cut costs by enabling crops to be drilled straight into stubbles after any green material had been sprayed off. Although they could work well in dry conditions and on lighter soils, these disc-type drills were complex, heavy, expensive and caused compaction. "Basically the concept was flawed from the outset and ultimately failed in the UK because it was unsuitable for our maritime climate and heavier soils. In wet weather, for example, the slots cut by the discs smeared and filled with water, so seed simply rotted or was eaten by slugs and had to be re-drilled. That got direct drilling a bad name and most farmers went back to ploughing until, at the turn of the century, cereal prices again fell to levels which made production uneconomic and forced them to look at alternatives again." MORE COST-EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE Aware of the failure of disc-type direct drills, Jeff designed a direct drill based around a twin-tine system which eliminated unnecessary cultivations, providing a more cost-effective, faster and reliable way of establishing crops into stubble, min-tilled or fully-cultivated soils. The key to the Claydon System is that the soil is cultivated only where absolutely necessary, in the seeding and rooting zones, creating a fine tilth which provides an ideal environment in which seed can germinate and plants put down deep roots. The remainder is left undisturbed, helping to improve fertility and creating a slow release of nutrients so that plants can develop their full potential. Soils are left well-structured and better able to support the weight of following machinery: such as sprayers and fertiliser spreaders, while this technique is also highly beneficial where it is essential to conserve moisture to get seed off to the best possible start and where soil erosion would otherwise be a problem. "We have proved that direct drilling can work very well, but only because we quickly identified that it must be done correctly and in combination with effective stubble management to contain weeds and slugs," Jeff explains. "For the first two or three years we simply used the drill which I had designed directly into untouched stubbles. Mechanically it had no problems in dealing with any conditions, but I soon realised that to get the best results and avoid a build-up of weed and pest issues I had to manage stubbles effectively, which meant developing the tools to do it. “Blackgrass is uppermost in many farmers' minds and some see ploughing as the solution, but if that is the case why after centuries of ploughing is blackgrass an increasing problem? Others feel that low-disturbance drilling will provide the answer and that by doing nothing apart from slot seeding blackgrass will magically disappear. Both concepts are flawed. "All Claydon Hybrid drills can be equipped with a range of options to meet any farm's requirement, enabling one unit to cope with any crop or system, which minimises the capital investment and operating costs. For example, a twin-tine option can be specified instead of the rear seeding tine, the leading tine can be replaced with a cutting disc to minimise soil disturbance, or the seeding tine replaced with the twin-tine kit and the leading tine with a twin cutting disc. Various fertiliser options are also available to enable liquid, granular and/or micro-granular fertilisers to be placed directly into the seeded strip. "Although we can offer various low-disturbance options to farmers who specify this, we always recommend our standard tine set-up. UK and international trials suggest that far from providing a solution, low disturbance direct drilling actually increases weed and pest problems and may ultimately make crops all but impossible to grow economically because of spiralling costs and lower yields. "The key factors in managing blackgrass are good drainage, a high standard of stubble management and effective use of ag-chems. "Drainage is a key consideration, as fields that lie wet are ideal for blackgrass, a marshland plant which thrives under moist, anaerobic conditions. In our experience, on heavy land at least, cover crops compound the problem by retaining moisture in the soil, providing ideal conditions for it to thrive. "Blackgrass has to be hit hard pre-drilling using a combination of effective mechanical stubble management techniques to achieve a fine, clean seedbed and applying ag-chems at the optimum time, under the right conditions to achieve optimum control. "We began developing the Claydon Straw Harrow in 2004 because after two years of drilling directly we found that if we left stubbles untouched and simply drilled straight into the chopped straw where the slugs lay their eggs these would then hatch and eat the growing plants. It was apparent that some form of surface soil movement was essential to control weeds and pests. "Immediately after combining we go in with a Straw Harrow and depending on conditions in the autumn carry out two or more passes before drilling, spraying off green material with glyphosate as it flushes. Straw harrowing also helps to significantly reduce slug numbers by destroying their nests and drying out the eggs. "The Straw Harrow disturbs the top 10-20mm of soil, creating a fine tilth which allows volunteers and blackgrass to germinate quickly. Because it is a very fast, low-cost operation the Straw Harrow can be used to hit blackgrass early, when it is at its most vulnerable. Even if you cannot see any green shoots they will be growing under the surface and harrowing when they are less than 20mm tall will achieve up to a 70% kill. Repeat this several times, whilst soil conditions allow, finishing with a late single application spray off with glyphosate and you stay on top of the problems. "More recently, we introduced the TerraStar, a simple, low cost 6m-wide shallow cultivator which perfectly complements the Straw Harrow by creating an ideal shallow tilth that encourages volunteers and weeds to chit. When soil conditions are dry and hard this produces valuable tilth for the straw harrow to work, while greatly assisting with slug control, drainage and the incorporation of manures. Using the TerraStar and Straw Harrow allows for enhanced control of slug and weed/volunteers mechanically, reducing the need for chemical treatments, under the right soil conditions. "The introduction of the three crop rule provides a further opportunity to reduce blackgrass through the use of spring cropping. Those who farm heavy land often avoid spring drilled crops fearing poor results but we have not found this to be the case and this year have drilled naked oats instead of spring wheat. Although we can drill early in the spring using our 6m Claydon Hybrid, we wait for perhaps two or three weeks later than most farms would to allow blackgrass more time to emerge and further improve the level of control. "There is no single 'right' way to establish crops, or tackle blackgrass and slugs. However, effective stubble management is critical in any situation, combined with some form of soil movement to create a shallow tilth. Great caution is required when it comes to low-disturbance direct drilling, as highlighted by the fact that farmers in the USA and Australia where this technique started are showing enormous interest in Claydon Hybrid drills and Straw Harrows to help them put right the massive problems created by years of using disc-type 'low-disturbance' equipment. Yet here we are seeing the same ideas being re-introduced to a new generation." Farming Hanslope Series Grade 2 land in Suffolk, Jeff Claydon has used the system he developed to direct drill crops very successfully for 14 years. In addition to greatly reducing crop establishment costs the farm has significantly reduced the agronomic and economic impact of blackgrass through effective stubble management. [ATTACH=full]331710[/ATTACH] The Claydon System's twin-tine design overcomes the drawbacks of disc-type direct drills [ATTACH=full]331712[/ATTACH] Operating at up to 25kph, the Claydon Straw Harrow thoroughly moves the top 10-30mm of soil, allowing crop residues to dry out as well as destroying germinating volunteers, weeds and slugs prior to drilling.[/CENTER] [/QUOTE]
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