Learn how to grow your business and meet other like minded farmers with FG26/46, Farmers Guardians business skills group. Lamma 2012 Preview
Lamma 2012: A resurgence in ploughing is good news
LAMMA has always been the show to check out ploughs, even with min-till at its most popular. But with many farms seeing a return to ploughing, manufacturers are seeing an upswing in trade.
Regarded by some as outdated and an outmoded method of cultivation, ploughing is enjoying something of a renaissance, with a number of issues facing farmers leading them to reconsider.
Dowdeswell Engineering’s Jason Stringer explains: “Weed control is becoming a problem as the more potent chemicals are outlawed, and only inversion cultivation can truly tackle resistant weeds.
“Other farmers are finding continuous min-till leads to soil pans, which are not removed by the loosening tines on min-till equipment. This can reduce the effectiveness of irrigation or lead to water-logging, depending on soils.”
Land coming out of set-aside tends to be firmer, which makes re-establishing the seedbed difficult with min-till equipment too, he points out.
Interestingly, Mr Stringer also suggests cost may favour the plough: “Depending on the soil type and weather conditions, the economies gained from the speed of working with reduced tillage equipment can be cancelled out by the cost of extra sprays needed, so the plough could actually work out cheaper.”
Ideal
Some farmers who have gone over to min-till may have got rid of their ploughs, and if a purchase is a last minute decision, choice of the ideal implement can be limited.
“We build to order to meet farmers’ exact specifications, so lead time is two weeks. A late decision can mean buying whatever the dealer has in his yard or sourcing a second-hand plough,” Mr Stringer cautions.
Where the old plough has been dragged out of the nettles, a number of specialists refurbish Dowdeswell ploughs with parts sourced from the manufacturer.
The economies gained from the speed of working with reduced tillage equipment can be cancelled out by the cost of extra sprays
Jason Stringer
Mr Stringer has also seen demand for larger ploughs to match higher horsepower tractors. “This has led to the introduction of a new range, based on the 170 series, which includes a nine-furrow, fully mounted, plough designed for use with a crawler or high horsepower tractor,” he says.
“It does give the customer the advantage of getting more hours out of an expensive prime mover.”
Robin Immink, Gregoire Besson managing director, says the trend is for more ploughing and ‘nicer’ work. “Farmers are looking both at updating existing ploughs and buying new. They may be adding extra furrows to an older plough or fitting new mouldboards,” he says.
Popular
“Our number eight body is particularly popular for min-tilled land as it turns the soil over well and can work at depths from 15 cm (6in) to 40cm (16in). Ploughs which are eight to 10 years old can be effectively refurbished in this way.”
He adds purchasers of new ploughs now have more power at their disposal: “As many as 70 per cent of those buying new have a bigger tractor than when they last purchased a plough.
“So whereas they previously specified a five-furrow unit, they are now looking at seven- or eight-furrow mounted ploughs and where they use semi-mounted ploughs, as much as 10-12 furrows.”
But there is a limit to what farmers will spend: “When they have invested significant sums in min-till, they are buying a plough to expand their options, so they don’t want a big investment. If they have a 200hp workhorse tractor, it can effectively be matched with a five-furrow mounted plough.”
Kverneland’s Adam Burt says rotational ploughing has remained an important part of the regime. “Many farms are now big enough to be equipped for both plough-based and min-till systems, giving the flexibility to use either according to the year and the conditions.”
Mr Burt has also seen the furrows increase: “In the east, six and seven-furrow ploughs are very common and, even in Scotland and on the mixed farms of the West Country, five to six-furrow units have replaced three and four furrows.
Upgrade
“There is a certain amount of refurbishment going on, but we find most customers are looking to upgrade.”
A major development for Kverneland was the introduction of the 28 body around seven years ago, designed to create a furrow which would accommodate the larger tyres needed by higher horsepower tractors.
“All ploughs are supplied with the 28 body as standard now, in recognition of the larger tractors in use,” says Mr Burt.
Another trend is for on-land ploughing with the help of GPS guidance systems. “It is accepted it is more difficult to keep straight when ploughing on-land, although this is well-suited to the higher horsepower tractors, but guidance definitely helps increase productivity,” he says.
Other types of technology are making inroads to ploughing, too: “The latest semi-mounted ploughs can be specified with electronic turnover so the headland sequence is completely automated. We also offer IsoBus controlled models, where plough functions are all activa-ted from the tractor terminal.”
Would you like to win a New Holland tractor for a year? Farmers Guardian has once again teamed up with New Holland to bring you an opportunity to win the use of the all new New Holland T8.390 tractor for one year. For your chance to win register your details here.
