Under any conditions, we have better chances of success with no-till
Russell McKenzie
His farm
- Russell manages a farming enterprise. He works for landowners who are keen to guarantee the profitability of their farms. He is a strong believer in the benefits of direct drilling for the sustainability of farm operations
- He manages 995 ha of heavy clay arable land
- He grows cereal crops: winter wheat, oilseed rape, winter beans, spring barley and spring oats
- Over the past five years he has gradually transitioned from simplified crop production techniques to a direct drilling system
His innovations
- Use of catch crops before winter cereals to delay seeding, reduce blackgrass and benefit from good sowing conditions thanks to the natural drainage made possible by the roots
- Introduction of cover crops into the rotation before spring crops to improve retention of nutritive inputs (chiefly nitrogen) which would otherwise be lost
His results
- For milling wheat which would require 260 to 300 kg of nitrogen: only 190 kg per ha applied, with a result this year of 13.52 T/ha at 13% of protein content
- Reduction of basal dressing
- Lower weed killer bill
- Better soil resistance to weather variations
- Increased organic content
- Stabilisation of yields
- Fewer weeds
- Smaller machine fleet required
Find out more
This profile was written by the organisation NUFFIELD France, a member of the NUFFIELD International network. The NUFFIELD Scholarship supports agriculture professionals on an international research and development journey. It is a window onto the world and access to a worldwide farming network.
www.nuffieldfrance.fr
