After seeing Nick at Lincoln we headed south to catch up with Tony Reynolds at Milton Mowbray down in an area known as The Fen’s. We were driving towards Tony’s farm when we first noticed stubble standing up in a crop, so we knew we must have been near to Thurlby Grange Farm.
Good Healthy Wheat Crop Sown into Standing Stubble
Tony runs Thurlby Grange Farm, 1250 hectares, with his 3 family members and 1 full time worker. It is a relatively flat area which is below the river levels as it was reclaimed from marshes and swamps. The soils range from organic peats to mixtures of silt and clay.
Healthly Soil Showing Good Earthworm Activity
They grow a number of crops including Wheat, Beans, Canola, Peas & Linseed. Six years ago they started experimenting with no-till, using a selection of disc combines. 3 years later they decided to go 100% No-Till.
They sold all of the existing tillage equipment and have not looked back. They now have a zero-till combine. When they converted over to no-till they also purchased a stripper front. They now sow straight into the standing stubble.
Tony With His Purest No-Till Canola Crop
Tony has done a trial this year by reaping the wheat with the stripper front. He has bought and mounted an automatic broadcaster which was filled with canola. The canola was effectively broadcast as he reapt with good coverage and did not require harrowing or anything to bury the seeds. Tony called this the purest form of no-till.
Autocast Spreader on his Stripper Front
Tony is trialling a new airseeder made by Weaving Machinery.
Weaver Manufacturing Caddy Seeder
Tony is known as “The Barometer” as he sometimes writes for the Farmers Weekly in the United Kingdom. This visit showed that the No-Till or Zero-Till system can work in the United Kingdom.
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