DRAINAGE PLAN INCREASES YIELDS AND REDUCES BLACK-GRASS BY 70%
Farmers looking to increase yields, reduce inputs and reduce black-grass should follow the example set by MJ & SC Collins, says Fred Clarke, Technical Sales Engineer at Mastenbroek.
Operating from Kingstons Farm, Matching near Harlow, Essex, MJ & SC Collins farms more than 3,000 acres across East Hertfordshire and West Essex. Since the early 21st Century, a streamlined cropping plan of wheat, barley, winter and spring beans, and sugar beet has helped the business grow significantly.
As well as the streamlined cropping plan, another significant factor that has played in the family business’ growth is a proactive drainage plan developed with Mastenbroek and Trimble®.
MJ & SC Collins' relationship with Mastenbroek began in 2015 when it was facing waterlogging of its land at Lysander Park, an area of 1400 acres that was used as an airfield during World War II.
The presence of redundant underground services meant the area was never drained in the 1980s and 1990s. John and the team at MJ & SC Collins realised that the significant amount of waterlogging severely affected the performance of otherwise fertile soils. As well as being unable to travel on the fields in early spring, the waterlogging was encouraging the growth of black-grass.
In 2015, John Haynes, MJ & SC Collins’ farm manager, contacted Fred Clarke at Mastenbroek to find out more about how Trimble GPS technology would work with a tractor-mounted trencher.
“We knew we had to improve the drainage on Lysander Park but weren’t completely sure how to go about it. We had heard about Mastenbroek’s partnership with Trimble and the GPS solutions they were offering, so got in touch,” says John. “We wanted to make the process as quick and easy as possible. We also wanted to know that we were making the right decisions and create the best possible drainage system for our land. This wasn’t our area of expertise at the time, so we approached Mastenbroek.”
Fred installed a Trimble GPS depth control system for the tractor-mounted trencher.
“By installing the Trimble GPS and RTK technology onto their AFT 100 trencher, we gave them the ability to use Trimble’s Water Management Software to create and install their own drainage schemes.
“After four years, in which they improved the drainage on 150 hectares and started to pick up drainage contract work for nearby farms, they realised that their set up of an AFT 100 and a 14-ton gravel cart was not as fast as what could be achieved by Mastenbroek’s latest self-propelled trenchers. So, John got in touch again.”
MJ & SC Collins took delivery of a Mastenbroek 30/20 in November 2018 and was immediately put to work on fields that had not had their drainage systems improved since they were installed in the 1970s.
“The Mastenbroek 30/20 trebled our output, taking us from an average of 800 to 1,000 metres a day to nearly 3,000 metres depending on the scheme,” says John. “Since carrying out the land drainage, we have noticed several benefits.
“The number of earthworms in the soil is increasing significantly, and the soil is much healthier. Drainage is key to unlocking the full potential of what can be achieved through reduced cultivation, compost and sewage sludge application. I describe it as a Christmas Tree in terms of the shape and magnitude of each level. So, the base – the widest branches – is the drainage followed by soil structure, organic matter, cultivation, nitrogen use and input reduction.”
While John can’t precisely quantify the benefit of improved nitrogen use efficiency to his yields, he is adamant that applying nitrogen early is critical for both encouraging tillering and growth as well as ensuring the urea they use as nitrogen gets into the crop early. He estimates that unless it is a very dry winter, he gets onto the drained fields a week to ten days earlier than before.
Part of the reason for the earlier access is the improved soil structure following the drainage. “The fields we have drained dry out much quicker than the older schemes, and when moling is up to date, the soil structure is so much more resilient. We can cultivate sooner in the spring but, crucially, later into the autumn. The soil is more friable and requires less intense cultivation.”
Perhaps the most significant impact of the drainage work undertaken MJ & SC Collins is the reduction in black-grass. John and the team have gone from blanket spraying with herbicide to targeting small areas and following up with hand roguing in the summer.
“We are probably saving around £15,000 a year on wheat herbicides alone!” calculates John. “I would say, depending on dormancy in a specific year, we have reduced black-grass on our recently drained fields by 70%.”
To find out more about how drainage can help reduce blackgrass and increase yields, visit www.mastenbroek.com or contact Fred Clarke on 01205 311313 or Fred.Clarke@mastenbroek.com.
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