Direct Seeding Experience With 16 years’ pioneering successful direct seeding in over 30 different countries with the patented Claydon technique, we are now seeing the return of old technology systems that were first seen in the 70s. Interestingly this old technology lost favour then due to inconsistency of results and has a track record feared by many who are considering entering into direct seeding technology. With the right soil and weather, and combined with a high level of patience and discipline, it can work quite well.
Many farmers consider this too risky, however, even over older plough technology. But the savings can be
considerable, to the point of turning a loss situation into a profit. With Brexit and uncertainty, it is important to be efficient enough to be able to survive without subsidy payments. Many have turned to min till to save costs, but have suffered from shallow compaction pans, caused by sedimentation, wheelings and lack of air, resulting in massive loss of worms, in many, many cases.
This results in slow drainage, sour land and poor yields; we saw it in the 70s & 80s, each year requiring heavier, min till spring-tine cultivators. This led to the introduction of subsoilers to air/ break and lift the soil to improve drainage, etc. With the introduction of the stubble burning ban in the 80s, many tried to go to the plough, but the ground had become so solid, the plough simply could and would not enter the ground on heavier land!
In late May, I visited Bulgaria, where the farms are very large - anything from 2000 to 120,000 ha. The weather was over 27-35°C and the wheats are now at the milky ripe stage. Our host farm has over 6000ha and they run two Claydon T8 machines.
Their cropping comprises wheat, maize and oilseed rape. They have been using Claydon drills for the past four years to establish the wheat and oilseed rape. For maize, they use the Claydon straw harrow to prepare in front of the Vaderstad Tempo drilling maize direct. The farm has been breaking all previous yield records since the introduction of the Claydon Drills and straw harrows, the only other kit being the Tempo and a Spiral roll. Why is the farm such a success? On our visit Ivan took us to see some other maize and wheat established with min till.
Both crops looked more stressed than those on his farm. The wheat was in poor health with a considerable amount of fusarium, and the maize had variable growth stages, small and large plants. These crops were quite normal for the area, but well below Ivan’s standard. We then went on to see a no-till farm of several 1000ha. The fields we visited were vast, 100s/ha. Sadly I don’t think they will be contributing much to the world maize stocks; you had to look very carefully to spot the rows!
Why were we seeing such a variation in the crops? Why should Ivan’s be so much better? The soils were all very similar but when we got the spade out it revealed some amazing surprises. The mintill was tight, especially at the depth of tillage, and under that level there was very little activity: poor rooting, dead appearance, no air, no worms and a poor scent.
The maize crop also showed wheelings, and it was easy to see it was not happy. The wheat was a similar story, weaker plants and more fusarium. On the no-till farm the soil was quite tight, but there was a lot more activity. We could not find the cultivator level of compaction and, on the positive side, we found a number of worms; the soil was in better health, a cover crop of oil radish had been planted in the autumn to improve soil structure, but most of the radish had grown out of the top and only penetrated 50/70mm.
Even with this the crop was very poor. There was a distinct lack of tilth on the surface, and the soil was baking out with cracks appearing in the high temperatures. The soil appeared hard and dry and difficult to dig into. Returning to Ivan’s farm was a real experience. His only cultivation was the straw harrow in the spring, with the optimum tillage produced from the drill’s front tine.
When we dug into the ground after four years of Claydon what were we going to find? The spade entered more easily, the texture was great, it smelled and looked beautiful, there was good worm activity, with plenty of humidity/soil moisture. But most importantly the crops roots were much better/stronger and more uniform in the soil. The maize was incredibly healthy following an oil radish cover crop established with the Claydon which had rooted well and evenly into the ground.
The wheats had very little fusarium after following maize and were filling the ears well. The oilseed rape was beyond compare. The value of the front tine, with its optimum tillage, was clear to see: better soil health, better rooting, and higher yielding crops!
Farming is about getting good results. Surviving as a farmer requires us to treat the soil kindly, improving its capability to produce better yields, opening up its true capabilities, in whichever climate we are farming in, and working with mother nature, rather than trying to dictate with “I’ve got the Power”!
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