SilliamWhale
Member
There wasn't any min till at Groundswell
Groundswell Show 2022
- Thread starter martian
- Start date
There wasn't any min till at Groundswell
- Location
- North Norfolk
The most minimal min till is zero till
The point I took from it was some people are calling min-till re-gen ag because there is no real definition of re-gen ag.
- Location
- Carmarthenshire, West Wales
regenerative agriculture is a philosophy of land management, that takes into account the situation of the individual farm & farmer, therefore it is extraordinarily difficult to be prescriptive, organic is a rules based system, so is therefore very easy to audit. However it is more than possible to be organic and yet still not regenerative and vice versa. Also, organic has been very good at getting an understanding or if not that at least a recognition of the brand.
and that's something new is it? lol.
People get bored ,its Human (and animal ) nature ,some more than others, when that happens they look to (to use a modern trendy name) 'reinvent' themselves or what is around them.
some join the band wagon because they want to look clever or 'up with it' ( thats sounds a bit seventies
) some don't want to be left out ,some just want to be part of an exclusive group ,some want the individualistic feel of it...them types well then when everyone's in it the y move on again ,sort of psychology study really
happy days.
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But has this person konown here as@delilah identified as Male??
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- Location
- Lincolnshire
Big article in Arable Farming today reporting on Groundswell, the gist of it was the yield penalty now produce prices are high is making DD etc look a little bit expensive and eating into profits due to in the main to lower yields not being covered by reduced cultivation costs.
One chart sowed the farm in a loss position during transition period
Is this the reality or journalistic licence?
One chart sowed the farm in a loss position during transition period
Is this the reality or journalistic licence?
clbarclay
Member
- Location
- Worcestershire
"Keep calm and carry on consuming"
I wonder how many farms have fallen on hard times as a result of trying DD?
I wonder how many farms have fallen on hard times as a result of trying DD?
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Gotta earn the right
- Location
- Carmarthenshire, West Wales
not an arable farmer, but, why is everyone (or some anyway) so against the idea of farming in a way that looks after soil and increases soil organic matter?
SilliamWhale
Member
Some and some.
Direct drilling done well and successfully will yield anything from better to the same to worse than deep tillage. Same for ploughing, same for min till.
Its all about having enough plants. I remember seeing a YouTube with Andrew Ward doing a spring drilling in the wet "trial". I could see he wasn't going to get enough plants straight away - his take from it is that no till doesn't work, my take is you have to know when to do it. Way bigger and more successful farmer than me so fair enough but you need to know when to jump in.
This year it feels like everything has gone right with DD on my farm. But certainly I've made some screw ups along the way.
- Location
- East Yorkshire
Your Q is a very valid one. One reason could be that there is very little data available to tell a farmer what will happen to the bottom line with a switch to 'regen' - and I use the term loosely!
We decided that we needed a better control of costs, cheaper establishment and that was from non inversion till and drill. So opted for a strip till drill that could drill in our conditions and have accurate control of seed depth - not many do this part well. Chop all straw and apply as much chicken muck as legally allowed. Sold Rapide drill to part fund new drill, straight in the deep end. Went for strip till as not prepared to sacrifice yield on highly productive land. Delayed delivery of new drill meant half was drilled on old system, half on new. Not scientific trial but no difference in yield. This harvest is first of complete strip till. Yield is still king and until there's a definitive advantage to a particular system, farmers are very wary of making bad mistakes. We all do it sometimes. Rewards under SFI are so poor for no or strip till, it won't push many into it.
Above all, you've got to want to do it or it probably won't work. Once the crop is above stubble height, looks like any other. Much of it is a mindset thing.
We decided that we needed a better control of costs, cheaper establishment and that was from non inversion till and drill. So opted for a strip till drill that could drill in our conditions and have accurate control of seed depth - not many do this part well. Chop all straw and apply as much chicken muck as legally allowed. Sold Rapide drill to part fund new drill, straight in the deep end. Went for strip till as not prepared to sacrifice yield on highly productive land. Delayed delivery of new drill meant half was drilled on old system, half on new. Not scientific trial but no difference in yield. This harvest is first of complete strip till. Yield is still king and until there's a definitive advantage to a particular system, farmers are very wary of making bad mistakes. We all do it sometimes. Rewards under SFI are so poor for no or strip till, it won't push many into it.
Above all, you've got to want to do it or it probably won't work. Once the crop is above stubble height, looks like any other. Much of it is a mindset thing.
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Shouldn't that be "profit margin is still king" so 10% lower yield and thus income at 15% lower cost is a win? (I know it doesn't always work out like that either).
- Location
- East Yorkshire
Didn't make the point but even a modest dip in yield is not covered by any savings. In reply to NFI I reckon you can only run 2 systems if you have enough land to need 2 drills or other equipment.
New drills and shakerators slug rakes etc are all part of novel consumerism.
not much bag fert used here and no slugpellets,
A simple plough, harrow and vicon varispreader can last one mans career .
Not sure as a small farmer i would go to a 2.5 k acre estate for advice either.
Good (slow) rotation basics ,and small fields retain diversity .
pertinent thought on aspect , not late season etc working saves soil erosion
Use your own thoughts and trial and error dont waste time and get distarcted by some yank on you tube .
not much bag fert used here and no slugpellets,
A simple plough, harrow and vicon varispreader can last one mans career .
Not sure as a small farmer i would go to a 2.5 k acre estate for advice either.
Good (slow) rotation basics ,and small fields retain diversity .
pertinent thought on aspect , not late season etc working saves soil erosion
Use your own thoughts and trial and error dont waste time and get distarcted by some yank on you tube .
- Location
- Devon
If that's your idea of what Groundswell is you are very mistaken.
Everything from garden level stuff to large scale arable, to livestock, to govt policy is represented.
Yes you have to find what works for you, but open your mind.
was there anything on Solar thermal DIY system building ? or useing Culmmeasure rushes for basketweaving because that the info i need am interested in currently, my brain can only deal with one or 2 subjects at atime, and they have to be practiced to be learnt then noted as experience, next subject please.
I doubt either, if it wouldve shown me that modern Tall fescue vareties are a better bet for my stock than cockfoot because it doesnt clump like cocksfoot does when sheep grazing and it copes with high ground water would groundswell have taught me that ? first grew it 5yrs ago.
because that the info i need am interested in currently, my brain can only deal with one or 2 subjects at atime, and they have to be practiced to be learnt then noted as experience, next subject please.I doubt either, if it wouldve shown me that modern Tall fescue vareties are a better bet for my stock than cockfoot because it doesnt clump like cocksfoot does when sheep grazing and it copes with high ground water would groundswell have taught me that ? first grew it 5yrs ago.
- Location
- Devon
Well whatever you do don't waste your time listening to someone spout about it on YouTubewas there anything on Solar thermal DIY system building ? or useing Culmmeasure rushes for basketweaving
Possibly not, but you could inform others instead??was there anything on Solar thermal DIY system building ? or useing Culmmeasure rushes for basketweaving
I doubt either, if it wouldve shown me that modern Tall fescue vareties are a better bet for my stock than cockfoot because it doesnt clump like cocksfoot does when sheep grazing and it copes with high ground water would groundswell have taught me that ? first grew it 5yrs ago.