No-Till Farming
What is No-Till? Farming Techniques
Tobin No-Till utilises a farming technique called No-Till sowing which minimises soil disturbance and retains crop residues, bringing substantial benefits to farmers. Sowing techniques range from conventional to zero-till farming each with varying degrees of soil disturbance.
No-Till
No-till (often called zero till or direct drill) is one of a number of farming systems used to grow crops. The No-Till system seeks to encourage microbial activity and other organisms such as earth worms to flourish naturally working the soil to provide voids for increased infiltration and favorable conditions for crop growth. Just like the name suggests, there is no tillage, crop residue is left standing to decompose on top of the soil, seed is drilled into the standing stubble and weeds are controlled using chemicals. It improves soil structure to prevent soil erosion during wind and rain events. Over time, the soil health will improve with increased levels of organic material. The soil will become friable allowing plant roots to penetrate easily and get established quickly and intercept moisture and nutrients at depth; this is particularly useful when cropping in limited moisture.
A broad range of chemicals are used as fertilizers and to control weeds and disease. Some of the biggest challenges for No-Till farmers relate to weed control as some herbicides can be expensive and others are prone to resistance from crops.
Crop rotations are used to improve the soil as well as growing cash crops such as legumes to increase the nitrogen in the soils and canola to create voids in the soils with its long tap root which acts as an effective conduit for moisture.
Permanent tracks are often used to drive the machinery on for all operations, crops are not grown on these tracks (note: sometimes crops are grown on tracks to slow down water particularly on slopes) To accelerate the advantages of switching to no-till it may be beneficial to deep rip as a preparation in the first year. However, maximum benefits will not be instant as it will take some time for the soils to revert to a more natural state, allow moisture in for storage and break down organic material
Standing stubble has many advantages as follows;
- It provides cover from the sun thus reducing moisture loss
- It slows down run off from rain events thus reducing erosion
- It slows down wind speed at ground level thus reducing erosion due to wind blast
- Crops can now be cut just below the head resulting in more efficient and faster harvesting which can be vital to get the crops harvested prior to frost
A Tobin No-Till disc planter has many advantages;
- It allows us to plant in high amounts of crop residue
- It reduces the draft requirements for planting reducing capital investment and fuel consumption
- It allows us to plant fast reducing labour requirements during planting
- Farmers can avoid the capital cost of purchasing expensive wider planting machinery
- Permanent tracks are made easy using GPS, the same tracks are used when planting, spraying and harvesting, it is important to consider carefully the best track width when setting up as it is expensive to change.
Conventional Farming
Traditionally, land was cultivated a number of times to control weeds and prepare a fine seed bed, that method of seed bed preparation is now called "conventional" farming.
To accomplish this, many passes were made over the land with heavy tillage equipment and the land was compacted just below the area of cultivation which we call the "hard pan". This hard pan did not allow infiltration or at the least allowed limited infiltration and therefore a valuable moisture reservoir could not be utilized.Further, the depth which was being cultivated year after was now so fine that it also did not have voids to store moisture, there was little or no microbial activity, organic material decreased and in some cases the fines would pack together and render infiltration impossible. Soils became very hard and required even larger machinery to cultivate deeper and farming in some areas was becoming unsustainable.
As time went by these steps became more intensive such as increased tillage and increased fertilizers. Farming was becoming unsustainable, inputs were increasing and this is particularly evident in Eastern Europe where farming methods have not changed and soils are less productive.
Stock grazing on the land is common with conventional farming and can compact the fines to cause even more compaction. All this cultivation and compaction stifled natural microbial activity and organic material in the soil grew more and more difficult to incorporate and breakdown.
Some weeds started to dominate as farmers were unwittingly changing the balances that nature had provided in the soils. In some cases, the fines were being eroded by water and wind.
Conventional farming practices are still being used by many farmers, particularly older farmers that have made a half hearted attempt at No-Till but without the proper management skills or machinery which resulted in failure.
Organic farming
Organic farming takes the No-Till system even further in that it does not use synthetic materials such as insecticides, herbicides or fungicides. However, there is a range of different activities associated with organic farming, and can include no till, minimum till or conventional.
Variations
Farmers are a diversified lot and, as with any systems there are variations, for example a bridging system between conventional till and no till is sometimes used called minimum till for which the practices vary wildly depending on management techniques. Many farmers will lean towards practices that have been proven in their area or machinery that is available giving regional variations.
Disclaimer
The information contained herein is given in good faith but is of a general nature and changes may be required when introducing cropping systems in different areas. It is best to consult an agronomist with No-Till experience in your soil types and exposure to your weed types. Weed control is a vital part of No-Till and local knowledge should be used to combat weed infestations.
No-till farming avoids the unfavorable effects of conventional farming techniques such as soil compaction, loss of organic matter and degradation of soil aggregates. Less tillage of the soil reduces labour, fuel and machinery costs. No-till can increase yield because of higher water infiltration and storage capacity, and less erosion. No-till improves soil quality (soil health), carbon, organic matter and aggregates and protects the soil from erosion, evaporation of water and structural breakdown.
No-till farming results in more carbon being stored in the soil and carbon in the form of organic matter is a key factor in holding soil particles together. The first inch of no-till soil is two to seven times less vulnerable than that of plowed soil. When no tilling for a few years, the soil will become a reservoir for moisture and the roots of the crops will go deep (wheat for example can go 1.2 metres deep) and intercept moisture and nutrients resulting in healthier plants and of course higher yields.
World Leading Disc Planting Performance
Free DVD
Have us send you out a Free DVD on No Till Farming using the Tobin Drill. The DVD feature farmers across land speaking of their experiences.
Cost Savings
A good disc planter should halve your fuel bill compared with conventional planters due to the lower energy requirements of the discs machines.
Efficiency
The Tobin No-Till disc drill is simple to operate and does its job efficiently with the minimum of fuss. Sticky soils, rocks, trash and stubble…
See the Tobin No-till in action and what our customers have to say...
Introduction
Introduction to the Tobin No-Till Disc Seeder and this video series.
Why Discs
A look at why a farmer should consider a disc planting machine.
Flexible Program
Plant in one third to half the time of a conventional machine to take advantage of rainfall patterns and planting windows.
Retain Moisture
Moisture retention is a priority. See how a Tobin No-Till maximises moisture retention and maximises your yields.
Retain Trash
Stubble retention is a part of sustainable broad acre farming. See our machine get through stubble & trash with ease.
Seed Placement
Seed placement is critical. The Tobin No-Till drill places seed consistently at the required depth across the speed range.
Rocks & Sticky Soils
The Tobin No-Till operates with ease in most conditions including rocky ground and black sticky soils.
Maintenance
Our machine is virtually maintenance free. It delivers reliably season after season. Our confidence is backed by guarantees.
Reduce Inputs
The Tobin No-Till will reduce input costs substantially. Savings on fuel, labour and time are just the start of the cost savings.
Options & Features
We offer a number of options to suit your conditions and keep your machine planting efficiently in rocks & sticky soils.
Tobins Tips
Noel Tobins ‘Top 5 Tips’ for what to look for when buying a seeder