Vaderstad Rapid A Drill Brochure - LiveUpdater

TUDY
Tillage
Revised Cultivations (Fig 7.5.2.)
Over some 75% of the cereal acreage the straw has
been baled for the dairy herds and some has also
been sold via a straw merchant. This is the first year
using a Väderstad Carrier followed by a Väderstad
6 m System Disc Rapid Drill. Either one or two cultivation
passes have been used with a spray in between,
followed by a roll which is considered to be important
to conserve moisture in a dry time and to anchor the
straw residue.
The overall establishment time is significantly faster
and costs can be lower.
The figures in brackets are the operations that may
be omitted. The high work rates and good utilisation
make the individual costs per hectare extremely competitive.
It is not as essential to roll after the drill
because of the flat profile tyres at the back but the
farm would normally expect to do so.
Fig. 7.5.2. Revised System
Operation Cost per ha. Work Rate Labour
(£) (ha./hr.) (mins./ha.)
6.5m Carrier 13 5 12
Spray 11 12 5
(6.5m Carrier) (13) (5) (12)
(6m Roll) (10) (4) (15)
6m Väderstad Drill 16 4 15
(Rolled) (10) (4) (15)
Totals £ 40 - £ 50 - £ 63 - £ 73 32 - 47 - 59 - 74 mins
Times and Costs
Bearing in mind the different permutations and
that a greater area would receive a final roll in a
more normal year the typical time saving is about
30% i.e. at least 30 minutes per hectare would be
saved over approximately 960 ha in the autumn.
Multiplied up this comes to approximately 480
hours equivalent to 8 x 60 hour weeks at this critical
time of year for a driver and tractor with further
savings expected in the spring.
The average establishment costs this year have
been very variable ranging from a small increase
of £2 per hectare to a saving of £45 per hectare for
the direct drilled crops. In a better autumn more
direct drilling is likely to be done and with more
experience a higher proportion of crops established
with one pass of the cultivator. This is however
not the whole story as there have been substantial
overall “annual” tractor and labour savings
of the order of £70,000 which these methods have
primarily made possible.
On this farm there is a quiet air of confidence and
expectation with attention to detail clearly to the
fore. It is difficult to visualise the revised system
not being a long term success, maintaining or even
improving the overall yields on this soil type.