One of the great takeaways from Agritechnica last year, was the rapid move towards minimising soil disturbance in preparing ground for the next crop.
This an approach echoed by Weaving Machinery, which had a significant presence at LAMMA.
There is a definite trend towards shallower cultivation, as chronicled by Agriland over the past couple of years.
The market is dominated by continental companies, yet this Worcestershire-based company has been urging that more consideration is taken of the soil.
E F Weaving Ltd. of Evesham, manufactures and distributes a broad range of machines for tillage and grassland farmers, a selection of which it had brought along to LAMMA 2024 – with the emphasis being on minimum soil disturbance.
The ethos of the company is one of producing machinery that acts mainly within the top few centimetres of the soil, with its deepest acting implement, the LD Topsoiler, working down to a maximum of 40cm.
Weaving stubble rake
The approach of the company to tillage cultivation is well-illustrated by its stubble rake – an implement which, with a working depth of between 1-2.5cm, is not actually designed to penetrate the soil to any depth at all.
Instead, its purpose is to stir the surface of the stubble to encourage germination of weed seeds and breakup any surface mat of trash.
It is also suggested that it can be used in growing crops to disrupt blackgrass infestations.
It might be described as a pre-cultivation tool – helping to shift the emphasis away from the plough, and towards a softer approach to plant establishment.
In doing so, less horsepower is needed, enabling lighter tractors to be used with a corresponding reduction in compaction and fuel consumption.
Keeping the plough in the shed
Total inversion, however, is something that is avoided in the range which, outside of the tillage sector, also includes flail toppers, rakes, tedders and hedge trimmers.
Once the ground has been prepared for drilling, the company has various options for sowing and drilling, including air-seeders and an inter-row drill for establishing cover crops in maize.
Both these tools are gaining increasing importance as the benefits of keeping a green cover on the ground all year round is more widely recognised.