Recovering soils after a challenging winter and our first 0% finance options.
Across the UK, the amount of land lay fallow as we course through April is higher than ever as prolonged wet conditions have prevented farmers from getting crops in the ground. Even where farmers were able to establish a crop, the moisture left from the wet 2023 may have led to shallow rooting leaving them vulnerable.
On the least fortunate ground, there has been lying water on some fields for as many as 6 months, this will have undoubtedly damaged the soil biology. But even where there was little to no standing water, nitrate and other nutrient leaching is obviously a concern.
Compaction is evident on much of the medium and heavier ground, where the wet weather through 2023 meant the passes we were doing, both during establishment and harvesting, were putting in compaction. Some of the lighter soils have also slumped and been capping with the sheer volume of rain on the soil surface, especially where left without cover. Traffic from livestock may have caused surface compaction on the fields even where good cover crops were established. So many fields may have been subjected to damage which will need rectifying.
Farmers must now decide how to respond; if they have a crop in the ground and its established reasonably well then the priority is making the best of that up to harvest, for the best possible return. For others, it may be too late to establish a cash crop, especially where the ground remains too wet and won’t recover in time, so cover crops are another option, with focus put on species that will assist in the repair work. However, due to the extremity of the wet weather, many soils will require mechanical intervention through low-disturbance sub-soiling to remediate their soil structure.
Addressing soil compaction should not be done blindly, going in too shallow or too deep can even be detrimental to existing soil structure. So first you must assess the soil status and this can most easily be done using a spade. A penetrometer is also an excellent piece of farming equipment for these purposes. The information you are looking to gain is: what does the soil structure look like? How aerated (or not!) is the soil? What is the depth of the soil compaction layer?
Particularly in minimum or zero tillage farming systems and regardless of soil type, having a low-disturbance subsoiler in your fleet of machinery is a useful tool, more so if the regularity of these difficult autumns and springs increases.
The aim when subsoiling is to gently lift the ground and stretch it to create vertical channels. These channels mimic the cracks in the soil we see naturally occur in drought. They allow air to the soil, aid drainage and help new roots bore into the soil. These roots will help stabilise the soil structure, so it is important not to leave land fallow after sub-soiling, otherwise you won’t reap the greatest reward.
The Weaving LD Top-Soiler is designed with a vertical leg, so as to not invert the soil and maintain minimal surface disturbance. The leg is hydraulically adjustable allowing you to easily set the depth according to the depth of compaction you have identified during your soil assessment. On the Weaving LD, the leg is followed by a cast iron V ring roller, this readies the seedbed by breaking up clod and leaving a level finish for drilling.
0%: Ultra Low Disturbance Finance
We understand that new asset purchases impact cashflow, as does a difficult winter. So to help make our LD more affordable to customers, for the first time in our history we are excited to offer 0% hire purchase plans on the LD Top-Soiler. These plans are structured with a 20% upfront deposit, followed by a 24 month payment plan, or a 30% deposit and a 36 month plan.
This finance offer is strictly limited to our LD Top-Soiler and Shortdisc, new machinery purchases only. Finance must be activated before 30th September 2024. The hire purchase plans are subject to eligibility, see the terms and conditions below. For more information speak to our Sales Team.
Want to learn more about the LD Top-Soiler? Simply contact Weaving to request a demo or alternately visit the Weaving x AGRII stand at Groundswell in June to listen to the experts discussing the merits of low disturbance sub-soiling.
Extracts for this article have been taken, with the kind permission of AGRII’s Todd Jex, from the Tramlines podcast, available on Spotify, Apple or click the link below.
Tramlines Podcast from AGRIIHire Purchase terms and conditions: The financing of equipment is available only through De Lage Landen Leasing Limited (“DLL”) in the UK for deliveries and finance contract activated up to 30th September 2024. This does not constitute an offer and is not binding on DLL. All applicants must be 18 or over and credit is for UK registered businesses only (subject to approval). Pricing information above is a representative example only and is based on a Hire Purchase basis with 24 or 36 monthly instalments. The rate quoted does not include VAT, administration fee, document fee, or Excess Hours Charges. Availability of financing is subject to approval by DLL and cannot be combined with any other campaign. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. DLL is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority only in respect of agreements regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
