CONTROLLING BLACKGRASS
4th August 2016
The development of herbicides has enabled arable growers to break all the rules, but a side effect of relying on chemicals as a primary means of weed control is that blackgrass has become an extremely serious problem.
D A Taylor of Waterloo Farm, Fringford, grows, 2000 acres of combinable crops and regards the creation of a stale seedbed as one of the most important elements in his strategy to contain blackgrass to a manageable level.
“We were running a set of heavy discs followed by a tined cultivator,” he explains, “but it was difficult to set it to move only the top two inches on the heavy ground. I always wanted an implement that just tickles the ground cheaply and quickly. A neighbour had a Väderstad Carrier so we tried it out on 200 acres of hard, heavy land – it made the seedbed I was looking for. The number of discs on the Carrier means it creates only a shallowtilth, but also chops trash and produces a good soil/residue mix.
“I can’t think of another cultivator with the Carrier’s versatility, one that enables an extremely shallow cultivation and levels and firms the ground. It has made all our other cultivations implements virtually redundant and enabled us to practice a cultural and chemical programme that keeps our blackgrass to a manageable level.”
To find out how the Väderstad Carrier can bring versatility to your land management strategy contact us on 01672 512328, or email agriculture@thwhite.co.uk
