Agri-environmental schemes have become an integral part of area-based payments from ARiMR in modern agriculture. What exactly are agri-environmental schemes? In short, agri-environmental schemes are a type of intervention in the form of direct payments, under which farmers can receive additional subsidies for implementing practices beneficial to the environment, climate and animal welfare. In practice, this means that, for example, for mixing straw into the soil after harvest, we receive additional funds in the form of subsidies. A seemingly routine field activity such as shallow stubble cultivation can bring us extra income. In today’s article, we will focus on the ‘Carbon farming and nutrient management’ eco-scheme.
This eco-scheme comprises the following practices:
- Extensive use of permanent grassland with livestock
- Drawing up and adhering to a fertilisation plan – basic option and option with liming
- Incorporating manure into arable land within 12 hours of application
- Simplified tillage systems
- Winter catch crops or intercrops
- Diversified crop structure
- Application of liquid organic fertilisers using methods other than spraying
- Incorporation of straw into the soil
We have deliberately highlighted several sub-points within this eco-scheme, as later in the article we will advise you on which practices and machinery to use.
Incorporating manure into arable land within 12 hours of application
In this case, points are awarded if the farmer mixes the solid natural fertiliser into the soil within 12 hours of application and sends a geotagged photo via the ARIMR mobile app. Both ploughing and shallow cultivation using a disc harrow, a cultivator or a no-till cultivator are considered to constitute mixing. Consequently, all TITANUM STANDARD and TITANUM HEAVY disc harrows, as well as disc harrows on the BORAZON chassis, are ideal for the shallow mixing of manure into the soil. The disc harrow mixes manure with the soil perfectly, preventing the loss of volatile nutrients. For both shallow and deep mixing of manure with the soil, we recommend the KRYPTON PLUS simplified (no-till) cultivation unit, but we will discuss this in more detail in the next paragraph.
Simplified tillage systems
According to the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture – the requirement for the ‘Simplified tillage systems’ practice is to cultivate arable land using no-till conservation tillage or strip-till methods, by:
- carrying out cultivation operations without ploughing as part of post-harvest and pre-sowing cultivation,
- leaving all post-harvest residues in the field as mulch after the main crop has been harvested.
What does this mean for the farmer in practice? Put simply, it means moving away from the plough, and consequently from standard ploughing, in favour of no-till cultivation, which is much better for the soil. The best option for this method is to use the aforementioned KRYPTON PLUS simplified (no-till) cultivation unit. This is a standard simplified tillage machine comprising three rows of coulters, a row of harrow discs and a finishing roller. The machine will prepare the soil excellently for sowing by deeply loosening it and mixing in crop residues. The MAHIT PLUS chisel plough is also a good alternative. This machine, consisting of three rows of coulters and a double-tine roller, is designed for deep no-till cultivation, as it can work up to 50 cm deep into the soil profile. The coulters with side cutters deeply loosen and mix the crop residues with the soil, preparing it for sowing.
Winter catch crops or intercrops
In this case, we will focus on one specific point, namely:
“The practice of winter catch crops or intercrops involves:
Sowing winter catch crops between 1 July and 1 October and maintaining them until at least 15 February of the year following the year in which the application for payment was submitted, with mulching permitted after 15 November”
We know from experience that leaving a growing catch crop in the field until 15 February is not the best idea, so mulching it after 15 November is a much better option. For this purpose, the PWN MULCHER, a double-shaft cutter, is an excellent choice. This machine is designed to destroy the plant without mixing it with the soil. The double knife roller cuts the stems into small pieces, accelerating their decomposition and the release of nutrients. The plant mulch remains in the field until 15 February, protecting the soil from wind and water erosion. It is a good idea to retrofit the machine with a prismatic roller positioned at the rear. This is a heavy, cast-iron compacting roller which further compacts the soil, preventing it from drying out.
Incorporating straw into the soil
Incorporating straw into the soil is probably one of the simplest and most common agricultural practices. It involves chopping up all the straw with a forage harvester during harvest and mixing it into the soil. An added bonus is that virtually any machine can be used for this, including a standard plough.
The ARiMR website states:
“Straw is defined as the dry stalks, stems, leaves, husks, glumes and pods of mature cereal crops, including maize, as well as pseudo-cereals, including buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa, and mature oilseed crops, legumes, phacelia and seed grasses.”
This means that the eco-scheme can be applied to virtually any crop where harvest residues remain in the field.
Machines for ARiMR eco-schemes
What machines can we use for this?
All disc harrows are suitable for this purpose, including the mounted TITANUM STANDARD, TITANUM HEAVY and TITANUM LIGHT models, as well as the heavy-duty disc harrows on the BORAZON chassis. In the case of the TITANUM HEAVY and BORAZON disc harrows, a good choice would be to retrofit the machine with CROSSCUTTER discs. These discs are specifically designed for shallow stubble cultivation. They mix and shred crop residues exceptionally well. Furthermore, the RAPTOR stubble cultivator and the KRYPTON PLUS simplified tillage unit will also prove excellent, provided that side blades are used in the ridges. The process of shallow mixing of straw with the soil should be carried out to a depth of 5 to 10 cm. As a result, the residues are completely covered with soil, enriching it with a very valuable humus layer.
In summary.
When submitting an application for direct payments, it is worth considering including the above-mentioned eco-schemes. We invite you to familiarise yourself with our range of tillage machinery, which will certainly help in carrying out these tasks.
