All of Armston Group’s arable hectares are cropped under a reduced tillage programme. With our reduced tillage programme we have improved our seedbeds and soil structure, therefore increasing our yields. A keen eye on soil structure has been imperative under a reduced tillage programme.
Regular inspection holes are dug across the farm to assess the soil structure. The heaviest machinery, are all fitted with tracks, rather than tyres, reducing the level of compaction in the top layer of soil. We have found that tracks leave a flat profile wheeling that’s easy to remove, whilst a tyre leaves a deeper narrow rut that takes more to get out.
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Sprays and fertilisers applied to the farm are only applied when necessary, through careful analysis of soil samples, tissue tests and thresholds. Spraying is carried out with a 3 star air assisted sprayer, giving greater flexibility with Leraps and reduced water volumes. Our Noroso registered spray operator is trained specifically for use with an air assisted sprayer.
The agronomy of the farm is done by one of our BASIS qualified directors, taking additional advice from TAG. A keen eye is kept on costs and products used; modern varieties require very specific inputs, to achieve optimum yields.
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