Issue 1 – Direct Driller

Alternatives to Glyphosate to Terminate Cover Crops

Cover Crops, Research / By Innovative Farmers

Innovative Farmers Look for Alternatives to Glyphosate to Terminate Cover CropsAnglia Farmers are running a new field lab through the Innovative Farmers network, investigating alternative ways to terminate cover crops.Many farmers rely on the chemical herbicide glyphosate to destroy unwanted crops at certain points within the crop rotation, but with uncertainty over its future availability …

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Drill Manufacturers – Prime West

Manufacturer in Focus / By Direct Driller

Prime WestCross-slot technology emerged in New Zealand around 30 years ago, and has evolved through intense university research in both New Zealand and the USA. It has been field proven in more than 17 countries. In concept, the technology allows farmers to place seeds and fertiliser very close together in an optimum environment to encourage …

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Horsch, a Return to Direct Seeding

Manufacturer in Focus, Tech Farmer / By Direct Driller

Horsch, a Return to Direct SeedingOriginally written by Frédéric Thomas and published in TCS in August 2015 While this may be a surprise many, Michael Horsch is first and foremost a farmer, not a designer and manufacturer of agricultural machinery. The opening of East Germany after the fall of the Wall in 1989 allowed him …

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Rapeseed With Pulses and the Management of Nitrogen

Cover Crops / By Direct Driller

Rapeseed With Pulses and the Management of NitrogenOriginally written by Gilles Sauzet and published in TCS in March 2016When we include pulses or beans in the cropping system, either as a main crop or companion crop, nitrogen management is at the heart of the strategy. Knowledge of the evolution of nitrogen build-up and nitrogen flows …

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A Cover Crop ‘Addiction’

Cover Crops / By No-Till Farmer USA

Getting Positive Results From A Cover Crop ‘Addiction’Originally Printed in No-Till Farmer – USA By Julia Debes Bill Buessing leaves no stone unturned as he seeds various cover-crop species to feed cattle, build up soils and fix nutrients for cash crops. A self-described “cover crops addict,” Bill Buessing maintains a cash crop or covercrop mix on every …

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Featured Farmer – Alex Shutes

Farmer Focus / By Direct Driller

Progressive Farmer – Alex ShutesI’m Alex Shutes – @Shutesy on The Farming Forum, 28 years old, a graduate from Harper Adams University in 2012 and now a farm manager on a 200ha all arable farm in Essex. We grow Oilseed Rape, Wheat, W Barley, S Barley and S Beans on a 7 year rotation but with the …

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Drill Manufacturers – Vaderstad

Manufacturer in Focus / By Direct Driller

Vaderstad Vaderstad’s Carrier Working on Blackgrass Prone Farms Vaderstad know that farms and farmers have to be flexible, that there is no one solution to suit all farms and therefore farmers need to find the system that works for them on their farm. Pure Direct Drilling just won’t work in every case and farmers need …

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Mycorrhizal Fungi And Cultural Diversity in No-Till

Research / By Direct Driller

Mycorrhizal Fungi And Cultural Diversity and Their Significant Increase in No-Till SystemsOriginally written by Claudia Maurer et al. and published in TCS in February 2015 The Swiss trial site at “Oberacker” has been comparing tillage and ploughing systems for over 20 years and continually assess the quantity and diversity of mycorrhizal fungi in various different …

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Could you run a farm scale trial in 2018?

Farm Trial Results / By Direct Driller

We as farmers are constantly being told about trial results, but as they say, there is nothing like trying things yourself on your own farm. Many of you out there are indeed already doing this, but what we would like to see is people sharing these results so other farmers can use that information on …

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Start Simple With Cover Crops

Cover Crops / By Direct Driller

Cover crops are becoming the new ‘in’ thing for arable farmers, and more are trying them out, often without really knowing what they are doing. Seed merchants are getting in on the act, and there’s an increasing amount of conflicting advice out there. Farmers want a plan they can follow, and here is one for …

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Issue 1March 2018