increase font size
German cultivation specialists Lemken is working on an idea called the Carbon Farming Plough Concept.
While we keep hearing that the only way forward is the min-till or no-till approach, the reality of modern arable farming is that there is still a place for the plough.
As a young man, far too many years ago, experienced ploughmen told me that the art of setting up a plough – beyond matching furrows – was accurate control of depth. This meant burying any trash by inverting the topsoil, but to also “take” around an inch of subsoil and incorporate in those upper soil layers. This was said to improve drainage, while also increasing the working depth of the topsoil.
It looks like those ploughmen were onto something, following the news that German cultivation specialists Lemken is working on an idea called the Carbon Farming Plough Concept.
Working in collaboration with the Liebniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), in that country’s north east, the duo have been working to develop an implement for carbon enrichment in arable soils.
Designed for ameliorative tillage, the idea is to break up compaction and improve the soil. One of the company’s ploughs is fitted with bodies that work at alternating depths to create “wells” below the normal ploughing depth. As the plough moves forwards, the deeper set bodies lift poorer quality soil into the humus-rich topsoil.
ZALF suggests that more than half of the humus introduced in this manner is retained to secure the long-term storage of CO2 in the soil. In the case of the lower soil levels being lifted, an increase in humus is seen in just a few years as a result of the carbon being introduced by the growing crops.
Breaking up the lower soil profile also allows plant roots to penetrate to deeper levels and access water and minerals that were previously unavailable. So much so, that research is showing yield increases of around 5%, even in the first year.
From a practical point of view, it is recommended that the method is repeated diagonally to the main direction of ploughing, after five to ten years. The researchers also suggest that this “carbon farming technology” might also offer up a new income stream to farmers in the shape of CO2 certificates, which could be used to offset any future environmental taxes linked to production.
When paired with Lemken’s iQblue connect module, the Carbon Plough will be capable of collecting site specific and job data, including documenting the position and depth of the “wells” being created.
Global tyre manufacturer Michelin has extended its agricultural trailer tyre range, with the introduction of its new WorkxBib series, designed for tipping trailers, slurry tankers and manure spreaders.
Following the record-breaking success of its hydrogen-powered Hydromax, JCB is ramping up its investment in the business, key to the first major change at the executive level of the business, with George Bamford stepping up to the post of joint chairman, alongside his father Lord Bamford.
During calf rearing, logistics can play an important role in getting the job done quickly and efficiently.
Massey Ferguson has announced a strategic supply partnership with International Tractors Limited (ITL), a manufacturer of low-horsepower and compact tractors, with recognised brands such as Sonalika and Sollis, to expand its portfolio with a new tractor range.
With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
Farmlands has reported higher operating earnings and a profit before income tax of $4.5 million, up 118.9%, for the year ended 30 June 2026.
AgriZeroNZ has invested a further NZ$17.7 million in methane vaccine developer ArkeaBio and NZ$5.1 million in BioLumic, a New Zealand-founded company that uses ultraviolet light to develop low-emissions pasture..
Good news for Fonterra farmers. The co-op has raised this season’s farmgate milk price mid-point by 25c to $9.75/kgMS.
OPINION: Political parties are getting plenty of advice and recommendations from sector groups as the election approaches.
In farming there are external factors that can influence behaviour of a whole herd, such as a bad weather event, triggering false positive heat detections or health attentions.
For Canterbury dairy farmer Cameron Henderson, supporting Meet the Need comes down to a simple question: how can the success of New Zealand farming benefit more than just those within the industry?
OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…
