Sub-Total: £0.00
Search
In our last blog we focused on Direct Drilling so we wanted to follow up and share a real life case study of a customer we have now been working with for a while so let’s get straight to business…
West Yeo Farm, owned and managed by James Winslade have used a Sky EasyDrill for nearly 4 years and is an advocate of the benefits of direct drilling.
West Yeo Farm on the Somerset Levels was hit by catastrophic floods in 2012, 2013 and again in 2014, it was unquestionably time to think again about how the family could continue to farm land subject to such pressures.Their 250 acres of arable ground had always received the plough treatment, but it was clear this couldn’t continue. “Our ground was so compacted after the floods – we lost soil bacteria, earthworms, everything. The flooding even changed the pH of the soil from alkaline to acidic.”
A contractor with a Moore direct drill was engaged in the first year and the results were so impressive James was determined to look into a different approach. “After the 2014 floods we decided to put the whole farm over to a direct-drill basis.”
James eventually settle on a 3-metre Sky direct drill, a capital cost of about £40,000. “We found that with this machine you can direct-drill, drill into min-till style seedbed or even take it onto ploughed ground.”
“I’ve always tried to keep my ear to the ground in terms of what grants are available, and I knew there was government support available in this local area, given what we had been through.” However, James decided to get some professional help in navigating the application process and engaged James Wotton of local agent Greenslade Taylor Hunt. “It is quite an involved process. As well as the formal application you need to submit a current set of accounts, bank statements and make a case for the grant you need.” Mr Winslade’s agronomist provided some supporting testimony, and adviser Jo Oborne from FWAG South West provided a report on the condition of the soils.
The grant scheme is retrospective, explains James, and we will pay 40% of the capital cost of an item once the purchase is complete and certain criteria have been met. “Once the decision has been sanctioned, you have a time window to go out and buy the specific machine you need. It’s worth thinking about this carefully, particularly if the machine you’re buying has a long build or delivery time, or a waiting list.”
Overall, the application process took about three months, he says. “Having this drill has really allowed us to complete the journey and experiment a lot with cover cropping and the benefits we get back from that, in terms of available nitrogen and better soil percolation. We’ve had more than 200 visitors through the farm since then, wanting to see what we do in practice, including the Swedish agriculture minister and his team.”
James’ farm has recovered well and the farming practices he has chosen are the major contributors to this – direct drilling and cover crops.
You can find out more about Sky Drills by clicking here or contact us directly for a free demo on your farm.
Look out for our next article coming soon…
Credit: Thanks to Farm Contractor magazine