We offer conventional establishment of crops with a plough and power harrow combination drill, or we can offer minimal cultivation establishment, right through to true direct drilling with no cultivations. No two seasons or fields are the same, so a range of options are available depending on the season and the conditions on the day.
We also have a range of options for sowing stubble turnips and cover crops.
Drilling options include the following…
We apply granular fertiliser with our spreader equipped with electronic weigh cells that constantly checks that the correct amount of fertiliser is being applied. We can also link this into our GPS system to apply variable rates as prescribed by GPS soil sampling.
Normally we mount the spreader on a convention tractor, but when ground conditions are very wet, we can mount the spreader onto one of our Multidrives. Being better balanced, they float over wet ground far better than a tractor mounted spreader.
We apply Avadex using our Horstine TMA4 Applicator. Avadex is a granule used as part of a herbicide program to control Blackgrass, Brome and other grassweeds in Wheat, Barley and Linseed.
Our fleet of three crop sprayers and experienced operators enables us to have enough capacity to ensure that plant protection products are applied at the right time and in the right conditions. Timeliness is everything with crop spraying. These machines are all GPS controlled to ensure that there are no misses, overlaps or wasted chemical. The sprayers are all equipped with a wide range of spray nozzles to suit everything from pre-emergence spray after drilling to flag leaf spray. This makes sure that the efficacy of the chemical is maximised.
There is so much more to crop spraying than just driving the sprayer. Our highly experienced operators know about the importance of using the correct tank mix sequences, water conditioners and which chemicals need specific wash out procedures.
We apply liquid fertilisers with our custom built crop sprayers. This is an extremely accurate method of applying fertiliser with minimal overlaps and a very defined cut-off at the edge of the field. No fertiliser straying into water courses and the exact rate is applied right to the edge of the crop, unlike a granular spreader.
We use bowsers to ferry the liquid fertiliser from the road tankers to the sprayers in the field. This minimises downtime for the sprayers and reduces the amount of mud being dragged onto the road.
We run two high capacity combine harvesters. These machines have the capacity to clear a large area in a day, freeing up more time in the summer to complete other operations such as cultivations, hedge cutting or grain drying. Tractors/trailers and drivers are made more efficient use of as they are not parked at the end of the field waiting for the combine tank to fill.
They have excellent straw choppers and chaff spreaders which spread the residue evenly over the soil making subsequent cultivations easier. They are also equipped with GPS and can provide yield maps for each field. As they can weigh the crop as it is harvested and can provide you with a fairly accurate estimate of the tonnes that you will have in store.
The combines have wide tires and 4 wheel drive to protect the soil structure.
