blackgrass

The evolution of tillage techniques on heavy arable land in the East Midlands

Farm Trial Results / By

Written by Dr Alastair Leake from The Allerton Project “There’s a reason why we use the plough” a colleague sagely advised me when I questioned this fundamental agricultural practice; “It works” – and I was treated to a history lesson to-boot. Having transitioned from growing heated glasshouse salad crops in hydroponics, the ultimate zero-till system, …

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Soil-Centred Worcestershire Sustainability Drive

Soil Health / By

Home-made compost, massively reduced tillage and determined cover cropping have been central to the single-minded drive to improve the arable sustainability of the Green Horizons Network farm at Salford Lodge, Pitchill just outside Evesham over the past decade. A combination of challenging silty clay land contract-farmed with heavy kit for many years and lighter sandy …

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De-risking OSR establishment

Cover Crops / By

Farmers are reporting positive benefits of drilling primed seed                    Despite 37 years’ industry experience, Agrii agronomist David Vine readily admits that growing oilseed rape successfully year-in, year-out can still be a huge gamble for many growers with significant challenges posed by slugs, pigeons, cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) and, given this year’s weather, the …

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Excellent results from the 2022 harvest, but what next?

Manufacturer in Focus / By

DIRECT DRILLER MAGAZINE – AUTUMN 2022 Excellent results from the 2022 harvest, but what next? With the harvest safely gathered in Jeff Claydon, Suffolk arable farmer and inventor of the Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system, discusses the results and looks ahead to next season. ——————————————————————————————————————————— 18 August 2022            It has been a very strange year …

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Transition Experiences Give Groundswell Guidance

Agronomist Focus / By

Transitioning to more regenerative regimes hasn’t been entirely plain sailing for three growers with very different soils and situations who shared their experiences at a packed Agrii Green Horizons seminar at this year’s Groundswell. However, they have all found their journey over the past 6-8 years very positive and are increasingly profiting from moving less …

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