“We had been ploughing to create a seedbed,” explains Alun, pictured, of Glan Y Mor, Harlech in Gwynned. “It was expensive through abrasion and wearing metal, and moving all the soil exposed the surface to severe erosion from coastal winds.”
He reasoned that a strip tillage machine could leave most of the ground untouched, relying on the previous crop’s root structure - or in extreme cases weeds - as an anchor to hold soils in place.
“We tried a strip tillage machine in 2023, which proved the principle, though the machine we used simply lacked enough adjustment,” he says. “We needed greater versatility.”
The preferred solution was an eight-row Kultistrip with rubber press wheels, acquired for the 2024 season from Mona Tractors.
As a result, his 85-acre maize crop was successfully established, while limiting wind-blown soil losses. “If we ploughed and power harrowed, the ground would dry so quickly that our sandy soils would blow away before our contractor could get the seed in the ground,” he says. “We had to cover the fields with compost at 30 tonnes/acre to limit erosion. With the Kultistrip, we no longer need to do that, so we can focus on applying digestate to encourage yield.”
Alun accepts that the farm sits on an unforgiving coastline, but acknowledges that with the right equipment and thought processes, his soils have become much more manageable for his grass and maize crops needed to feed his 130-cow herd, plus followers, beef and sheep.
“The Kultistrip is definitely the right tool for the job,” he says. “We use it to remove deep compaction while creating a precise seedbed in a narrow strip, which safeguards more of our sandy soils.”
Email Adam Burt, Kverneland soil specialist: info-uksales@kvernelandgroup.com
