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central-Alberta farmer and crop consultant Steve Larocque.
Jackson has been involved in a provincewide CTF study for the
past three years. He readied equipment in 2011 for the first year of
the project involving about 430 acres. Recognizing the benefits
he applied the concept tomore of his farm. In 2013 with larger
seeding equipment he applied CTF to about 80 per cent of his
land, and plans to expand that to 95 per cent of his acres in 2014.
Along with adapting “hardware” to CTF, the setup also requires
time for management and field planning to optimize the system.
One of the main advantages of CTF is to reduce all equipment
traffic over crop land, reducing soil compaction. This, in turn,
should improve crop production, said Larocque, who farms at
Morrin, east of Three Hills.
“Most years, wheel traffic over fields—even with reduced tillage
or direct seeding—can cover as much as 50 per cent of your
land,” said Larocque. “That all contributes to compaction. It can
affect root development of crops, crop access to nutrients, and
the movement of moisture through the soil profile.”
Larocque has been impressed with 110-bushels-per-acre
yields on CPS wheat, and barley yields in the 120- to 135-bushels-
per-acre range. He expects even more as soil conditions and
management improve.
The first challenge is getting all
equipment set for CTF. Both Larocque
and Jackson, for example, use equipment
that is either 30 or 60 feet wide. Wheels
on equipment are set on 10-foot centres,
and travel on set tramlines that are each
about 20 inches wide. All field traffic must
travel on these permanent tramlines, and
operators need an accurate GPS to keep all
equipment properly aligned with the tracks.
It’s with such accuracy that Jackson can make one pass to band
fertilizer in the fall, and then directly seed over the fertilizer band
the following spring. Depending on his preferences, he has the
option to seed the following crop the next year directly into the
same stubble row, or adjust the spacing on the drill and seed
between rows.
While the traffic is limited, that doesn’t limit the way the land
is farmed. Larocque follows a zero-till, direct seeding systemon
his farm.
“It takes some time to get it set up, but each year, as you keep
the traffic limited to these tramlines, you begin to see benefits in
crop production, as well as your overall operation,” he said.
As the ground mellows, plant roots have improved access
to moisture and nutrients, which translates into improved
yields. Larocque said the tramlines have allowed him to be on
fields two to three days earlier, which is especially important at
seeding, but is a benefit for all field operations. The firm tracks
of the tramlines can carry equipment, and with reduced soil
compaction water infiltrates through the soil faster. Not only
are the tramlines solid running tracks, but improved water
infiltration through the soil allows fields to dry out sooner in the
spring or a er a rain. He can travel faster for all field operations,
harvest efficiency is improved, and he’s already seeing fuel
savings of five to 10 per cent.
Larocque saidCTF is doingmore to
improve overall yields and field operations
than any deep tillage operation that could
be applied to fracture compaction layers—
andCTF doesn’t require an extra $65,000
to $100,000 in specialized equipment.
Larocque, who is a firmbeliever inminimizing
field traffic to correct soil compaction, said
one of themost important tools for direct
seeding operations is a proper strawchopper
that does a good job of residuemanagement and distribution.
Controlled traffic farming is just some of the “fine tuning”
producers are exploring to get the most out of their conservation
farming practices, said Peter Gamache, a longtime soil
conservation specialist based in Edmonton. He said limited tillage
operations may play a role in specific situations, but he is a bit
concerned when local farmers show interest in high-disturbance
European tillage tools. They might have fit in across the pond, but
may be a step backwards for western Canadian soils prone to
wind and water erosion.
“Statistics show that perhaps 60 to 70 per cent of farmers are
practising conservation farming and direct seeding technology.
More are now starting to think about soil health and soil quality,”
saidGamache. “Sometimes direct seedingmay be blamed for
a particular production problem, but, as some researchers have
pointed out, one of the most important tools of farming is to
follow a diversified crop rotation.”
Direct seeding and zero-till farming were initially used to reduce
soil losses due to wind and water erosion, then farmers realized
this systemwas also a very cost-effective way to farm—saving
many field operations both time andmoney.
FIELDS OF GOLD:
A side-by-side view of a harvested and
unharvested crop using a stripper header on the combine. Left,
two-thirds of the crop hasn't been combined. Right, the crop is
harvested, leaving behind tall standing stubble.
Photo: RyanMercer
Winter
2014
grainswest.com
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“Statistics show that
perhaps 60 to 70 per cent
of farmers are practising
conservation farming and
direct seeding technology.
– Peter Gamache