Ploughing destroys the natural soil structure, its ability to drain, retain moisture, and impound carbon and nutrients naturally. Ploughing your land also causes compaction, soil erosion and river contamination. Direct drilling with the Claydon drill improves soil quality by naturally increasing soil organic matter and water infiltration because our drill only tills the soil in the seeded area leaving solid channels that also support heavy machinery reducing potential compaction problems experienced on fully cultivated land. The solid channels between the rows increase the abundance and diversity of soil organisms including micro organisms and earthworms and enable the soil to have better water retention properties that feed the plant and encourage far more stable yields especially in dry years. The first tine in our drill also busts out any compaction in the field caused by heavy machinery significantly reducing the need to subsoil. Our technique reduces surface runoff of soil and nutrients; encouraging more constant, steadier water flows into rivers and reservoirs. The natural soil structure also seriously reduces the leaching of soil nutrients and chemicals into the ground water making any surface runoff considerably cleaner thanks to the drill causing practically no soil erosion. In conclusion the Claydon direct seed drill increases soil fertility, soil regeneration and decreases soil erosion. It also reduces compaction, facilitates natural water retention and aids the growth of high yielding crops.
On our own farm we have noticed our soil quality improving every year over the 4 years that we have been direct drilling our land. We used to dig up and mix in the heavy clay in our land and destroy the soils natural structure with our plough. Since we have been direct drilling we have noticed a significant reduction of compaction in our fields and the soil quality has become much richer. Perhaps the biggest indicator was when a German Soil Scientist came to view our farm, who became positively aroused by the quality of our soil, the best he has ever seen!!! |
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Findings of the LIFE report written by the European Conservation Agriculture Federation:
Soil degradation due to erosion and compaction is probably the most important environmental problem caused by conventional agricultural techniques, seriously affecting nearly 157 million hectares (16% of Europe, nearly 3 times as large as France).
Soil Sediment from erosion is the biggest contaminant of surface water
Direct Drilling greatly reduces soil erosion by 60-90%, increasing the quality of surface water by reducing sediment
Direct Drilling causes a reduction of approximately 70% in herbicide runoff, > 85% in oxidised nitrogen, > 65% in soluble phosphate, and about 69% less water runoff than mouldboard ploughing, all of which are a real boon to improving water quality.
Emissions to the atmosphere from conventional agriculture reduce the potential CO2 sink effect of the soil, decreasing the organic matter content of the soil and contributing to global warming
Intensive tillage of agricultural soils has led to substantial losses of soil carbon (C), frequently over 50% in the 20-30 years of cultivation.
Direct Drilling increases organic matter content affecting soil structure and stability, water retention properties, buffering capacity, biological activity and the retention and exchange of nutrients.
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