Removing the plough altogether can be very risky in a wet season, particularly on heavier soils – it relies on a history of gentle soil husbandry over five or more years, as well as a ‘good’ season…
…However, I am a huge fan of minimum tillage, and great gains can be made by reducing the cultivation depth to the absolute minimum required to achieve a good tilth. After all, the worst outcome is bare soil resulting from poor crop establishment. It is vital to respond to the soil conditions underfoot and act on what you discover from digging a soil pit before beginning soil preparation.
The Farm Net Zero project has tracked this journey across 40 or so farms over the last five years. From this, we have early hints from multiple carbon footprints that soil health and fuel use may well be linked. Eighteen farms reduced their fuel use, with an average reduction of 31%. Unsurprisingly, the greatest drop was recorded at Trenance Farm, which uses methane captured by the Bennamann system.