Agrii and Weaving to join forces for an exciting Groundswell

As the brain child of Agrii agronomist, Todd Jex, and Weaving’s head of sales, Simon Weaving, the collaboration will set out with a clear aim to demonstrate how farmers can achieve success in a regenerative farming system.

The two companies will come together on a shared stand, which aims to be interactive with cover crop mixtures across the demo plot and pop-up marquees that will host targeted discussion, all interspersed with complementary low disturbance farm machinery.

“The collaborative effort will give growers the opportunity to talk through the whole regenerative farming process; from soil health, crop rotation and establishment – right through to nutrition, agronomy and benchmarking,” advises Todd, “with the primary focus being maximising profitability in a sustainable system.”

Asked what prompted the collaboration, Simon remarked: “When we first came to Groundswell some 8–9 years ago, the demo field was central to the Groundswell event, but more recently it has lost its influence, now visitors prioritise the seminars.

“So we hope that by showing practical application of regenerative principles, we can offer more value to visitors.”

Proactive on regen ag

Agrii and Weaving have worked closely in recent years, where many of their mutual customers have excelled in achieving high yielding, sustainable crop production models.

One of those mutual customers is A and R Fraser, who contract farm around 3,500 acres in conjunction with Agrii across Dorset and the southwest.

“Agrii have always been very proactive around regenerative farming; we work closely with them to explore how we can reduce our inputs and optimise plant health, they are very forward-thinking when it comes to options like bio-stimulants and trace elements.

“Their efforts towards crop trials is invaluable and it allows us to see results which share relatable soil types and climatic conditions to our own,” comments George Fraser.

“The drill days that they have hosted in recent years with Weaving, as well as other manufacturers, offer a great platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences with like-minded peers in our industry,” adds George, who is a Weaving customer, with both a GD and a Sabre drill in his armoury, alongside a Weaving LD Top-Soiler.

Cover crops planted and ground prepared

In keeping with the no-till principles of the event, Weaving will be presenting its range of direct drills, together with a selection of low disturbance cultivators – all of which have been thoughtfully paired within Agrii’s discussion topics, such as the tine versus disc crop establishment debate.

In preparation for Groundswell cover crop has been planted across the site, this will allow discussion around the interaction between soil biology, soil physics and crop establishment.

The demonstration fields are what Simon describes as “tight ground” and according to Groundswell host, Alex Cherry, Lannock Manor Farm has experienced a prolonged period of wet weather much like the rest of the country.

So, to best prepare the ground for drilling, Simon Weaving chose to use their LD Top-Soiler.

“Using the LD Top-Soiler we are able to lift, but not invert the soil, this will loosen the sub-soil and allow air to it, which should encourage drying.”

This was immediately followed by the Weaving GD for direct drilling the chosen cover crops at a 20-25kg/ha density in accordance with the advice from Agrii’s crop input specialist, William Sanderson.

Stand number: DN2

Visit the Agrii website for more information

Visit Weaving Machinery’s website for more information

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