Andrew Mahon — Bromborough Estate, Northamptonshire

Estate manager who completed a stepwise transition from plough/min-till to full no-till on heavy Hanslope series clay, documenting the process as a practical guide for others.

Profile
Role Estate Manager
Farm Bromborough Estate, Glebe Farm, Podington, nr Wellingborough
Total area 1,000 ha (840 ha owned + 165 ha FBT)
Soils Heavy clay, predominantly Hanslope series
Drill Primewest Cross Slot 5m No Tillage Systems (from March 2016)
Previous system Plough + min-till (strip-till drill 2013–2015)
Key challenge Blackgrass
Agronomist Richard Rawlings (ProCam)

Conversion Timeline

Year Action
2012 Wet harvest triggered rethink — 30% yield drop; struggled to get crops drilled. Joined BASE UK
2013 Ordered strip-till drill; sold plough, disc set, press, and two tractors; introduced cover crops
2013–2015 Strip-till drilling — no crop performance drop-off, but still moving too much soil for blackgrass control
March 2016 Ordered 5m Cross Slot No Tillage Systems drill
2016 onwards Full no-till system

[Source: dd-issue-03, 2026-04-11]

Results and Observations

Positive

  • Establishment costs: lowest ever — reduced diesel and machinery expenses
  • Wider drilling window: can drill earlier or later than under plough system
  • Soil moisture conservation and reduced soil erosion
  • Trafficability improved even in first year of no-till
  • Natural drainage: worm channels provide drainage without mole draining
  • Organic matter: 5–6% across the farm

Earthworm Data (Single Field Comparison)

Treatment Worms per unit area
Min-tilled + Cross Slot drilled 17
Ploughed 5
No-tilled (2 years) 27

Stress Reduction

  • “There’s a lot less stress” — wider drilling window and less dependence on perfect conditions

[Source: dd-issue-03, 2026-04-11]

Key Insight: Stepwise Approach

Andrew advocates for a stepping stone approach to no-till conversion:

  1. Start with strip-till or reduced tillage
  2. Allow soils time to adapt biologically
  3. Move to full no-till only when soil structure has improved
  4. “Your whole mindset has to change because you’re drilling into trashy conditions and cover crops”

“If we’d have gone straight to no-till we’d have struggled.”

[Source: dd-issue-03, 2026-04-11]

Cover Crops

Introduced cover crops in 2013, planted directly behind the combine:

  • Started with various mixes; considers them integral to the system
  • “Keeping green cover or living roots in the soil for as long as possible in the calendar year is the name of the game”
  • Sprayed off with glyphosate 4 weeks prior to drilling — the dead material on surface retains soil temperature and moisture

[Source: dd-issue-03, 2026-04-11]

ProCam Trials

Working with ProCam agronomist Richard Rawlings on three trial areas:

  1. Herbicides and blackgrass control in direct-drilled situations — can control blackgrass well, but brome emerging as a new issue
  2. Companion crop of clover with wheat — 2-year project testing nitrogen fixation by clover and crop competition (spelt, spring wheat)
  3. PlantWorks bacterial product — soil-applied bacteria to improve nutrient uptake in early plant development (results pending)

[Source: dd-issue-03, 2026-04-11]

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