The debates over farming methods have been raging for as long as farming itself, but machinery manufacturers such as Kverneland know that farmers will still need to till the soil, whatever the arguments elsewhere.
The company recently held a demonstration day for its dealers in Co. Tipperary at which a selection of its ploughs, cultivators and drills were put through their paces and Agriland went along to take a look.
It all starts with the plough
The plough has had some bad press of late, but Kverneland is unapologetic in continuing to promote its basic role in farming.
The arrival of the blackgrass threat in Ireland adds weight to the view that inversion of the soil should not be abandoned in favour of just stirring it up.
Working the field was a five furrow reversible model with a Packomat furrow press attached.
On these light soils which were still relatively dry, the combination was producing a clean surface free of trash in one pass.
Following the plough on the demonstration plot was a Kverneland e-drillplus which is a power harrow-drill combination.
This particular model was also a combination drill with a twin coulter system, placing the fertiliser and seed separately into the soil.
Ploughless cultivation with Kverneland
Producing a seedbed need not require the inversion of the soil; minimal cultivation, which involves breaking it up with tines of various robustness to produce a medium in which to plant the seeds, is an attractive alternative in many situations.
There are usually two steps in minimal cultivation – the first is a working of the soil surface to encourage germination of weed seeds and uproot the stubble, accelerating the breakdown of plant residue by doing so.
The second phase is a deeper cultivation which incorporates the trash, aerates the soil and may firm the bed, to discourage slugs and other pests.
Whereas ploughing interrupts the disease bridge by total burial of the problem, minimum tillage tends to manage it through several stages of incorporation.
Every grower will have their own views on which system is best suited to their situation and the most beneficial combination of the two approaches.
Despite Kverneland’s legacy being that of plough manufacture, it does produce an extensive array of cultivation equipment that either compliments, or replaces the its primary product.
Kverneland versatility on display
Discs or light tines are usually favoured for the initial phase of minimum cultivation and a model from the Qualdisc range represented the disc approach.
Meanwhile, a ‘Turbo 3000’ demonstrated Kverneland’s interpretation of how it should be done with tines.
Both these machines were working in front of a much deeper operating ‘Enduro’ cultivator with spring loaded tines, which are capable of working to a depth of up to 35cm.
It is claimed that incorporating the dead plant material throughout the soil profile improves the mix of residue and soil, encouraging its decomposition.
All these model ranges are advertised as being totally flexible in operation and suitable for many purposes and all seasons, depending on the job at hand.
Specified for Irish conditions
The range of machines, plus the innumerable options available, could well lead to delays in production and delivery due to the need to custom build each unit.
Kverneland in Ireland therefore tends to pre-order stock machines which are considered the most suitable for Irish conditions. This helps ensure that the product is available when required.
Up until now this has worked well, but next season may still see shortages for reasons beyond the company’s control.
The advice is to order early if the machine is to arrive on time and at a known cost.
These tend to have the higher end specifications to ensure that the units sold in Ireland are capable of handling all that is thrown at them.
It is a policy the company believes to be the most cost effective in the long run, although the initial price may appear steeper when compared to competing models.