Slug Pellet Broadcaster and One Pass Cultivation bringing down establishment costs - 01/01/2008

The cost of controlling slugs on a heavy land farm where the pests are the number one threat to crop establishment has been slashed by the purchase of a front-mounted 12V Broadcaster from Spaldings.

For just £1100 including mounting brackets, David Hicks of J and E H Hicks and Son, High West Thickley Farm, Shildon, Co Durham, now broadcasts slug pellets at the same time as he is spraying or applying fertiliser.

Previously he made up to three special journeys across most of the 300ha farm to spread the slug pellets through the fertiliser spinner, which was costly in terms of fuel used and was time consuming at the busiest period of the year when harvesting and autumn cultivations were in full swing.

“Now we can cut out at least one pass, which is a major saving with fuel prices being what they are,” he says.

Slugs are a plague in the wet clay soil at High West Thickley Farm, where the cropping consists of oilseed rape, milling wheat, winter malting barley and winter oats (for Quaker).

This autumn two fields of wheat sown in wet conditions were so badly damaged by slugs that 10ha had to be re-drilled despite an initial application of metaldehyde pellets applied just two weeks after crop emergence.

“What this shows is that you can’t afford to delay slug control on wet or damp, heavy land. In this case we were busy with other activities, but now the rule is to apply the pellets to oilseed rape along with the pre-emergence spray before it emerges, and to the wheat when applying the P and K fertiliser - and making sure both operations are carried out within a day or two of drilling.”

After one full season with Spaldings 12V Broadcaster, Mr Hicks finds that its 100litre see-through hopper holds enough slug pellets to keep going until either the sprayer or fertiliser spreader need filling.

He is also pleased with the even spread pattern, which he says is an important factor when just 5-7kg/ha of pellets is being applied across a 21m broadcasting width to control huge slug populations boosted by a wet summer.

He also highlights the simplicity of the in-cab controls for spreading width and application rate and the easy-fit design that is based on a single holding pin that allows the unit to be taken on or off in five minutes.

This autumn Mr Hicks is investigating direct drilling on one field as a possible alternative to the present systems of ploughing and cultivating for oilseed rape or using a tine cultivator followed by a power harrow for cereals.
“At a quoted rate of less than £50/ha direct drilling has the potential to cut cultivation costs, especially fuel – and there is the bonus of deterring slugs by leaving the soil structure undisturbed. This autumn we think we have got away with just the one initial application of slug pellets on the direct drilled field.”

Spaldings 12 volt Broadcaster is available from stock under product number 16184.

For full details of Spaldings agricultural product range visit our online catalogue, contact any member of our sales team, telephone: 01522 507 600 or e-mail: agsales@spaldings.co.uk

Article 3 // JANUARY 2008

One Pass Stubble Cultivator Cuts Establishment Costs

A sub-£6,000 stubble cultivator capable of creating a seedbed in one pass with a 120-150hp tractor has cut the cost of crop establishment on a 162-ha arable farm in the fertile Vale of Pickering.

The 3m-wide machine from Spaldings has largely replaced passes with a rigid tine (Shakerator) cultivator and a set of discs on all but the heaviest land at C and E Bosomworth and Sons’ High Grundon Farm, Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire.

The combination of the cultivator’s set of discs mounted ahead of a set of double-leaf spring tines and a crumbler roller is creating at least as good a tilth as the double pass of the previous system, according to Tony Bosomworth.

“On the friable soil there’s no need to go too deep to create a tilth, so it’s all a matter of matching the machine to the soil conditions. We think we’ve found a reasonably-priced one-pass cultivator that has cut down on field time and fuel in its first season of use,” he says.

A feature of the cultivator is that the 10 angled, 610mm cutaway discs are mounted on an easily removable Culti-disc headstock unit, thus providing the flexibility for the discs or tines to be used separately. In addition, the angle of the discs can be adjusted in a matter of minutes to deal with variable soil and stubble conditions.

The 13 tempered steel tines mounted on a two-beam cultivation frame are fitted with heavy-duty reversible forged points to achieve optimum operating angle and soil penetration.

Crops grown at High Grundon Farm are winter wheat (mainly biscuit quality), winter and spring malting barley and oilseed rape. In Mr Bosomworth’s experience it only takes one pass of the Spalding cultivator to create a suitable seedbed for oilseed rape out of winter barley stubble. The same goes for seedbeds for cereal crops on the lighter land on the farm.

However, on the heavier land two passes are the rule and the rigid tine cultivator is brought into operation if there is any hint of compaction. A plough continues to be used to prepare land for spring barley.

“We have found the cultivator deals with most stubble situations, but the tines can sometimes get blocked in long laid stubble or when it goes in straight after the combine.

“So we are considering purchasing a second set of discs on a Culti-disc headstock unit to fit to the front linkage of the tractor. We think this will deal with difficult stubble as well as increasing the number of situations where a seedbed can be produced from just one pass.”

Summing up, he says: “It’s not a fancy machine, but on our mainly friable soil it does as good a job as much more expensive cultivation equipment – and even on heavy soil we only need a 140hp tractor to pull it.”

Spaldings 3m Stubble Cultivator complete with de-mountable Culti-disc headstock and rear mounted crumbler is available from stock under product number 16192.

For full details of Spaldings agricultural product range visit our Online Catalogue, contact any member of our sales team, telephone: 01522 507 600 or e-mail: agsales@spaldings.co.uk