Pilton Monitor Farm: Finding the ‘levels’ – managing moisture in wet Somerset arable systems

The second of our winter series at Pilton will see us tackle the complex issue of drainage and related cultivations.

Join us to discuss considerate cultivation and drainage strategies with Andy Newbold of Tillage Live and Agri Machinery News and Nuffield Scholar and NAAC member Rob Burtonshaw of Farm Services Ltd.

Across the country, harvest 2024 exhibited the perils of tight seedbeds and/or inconsiderate cultivations on all but the most forgiving and free-draining of soil types. The protracted wet weather didn’t allow such crops to get away in autumn nor encouraged deeper rooting in spring, the results of these prolonged field conditions we are all painfully aware of.

So how do we manage water and grow profitable crops in these ‘heavy land’ or ‘maize in rotation’ scenarios without a wholesale return to intensive cultivations and associated expense? Come along to find out.

This event will be meeting at the Crown in Pilton for breakfast before heading back to Steanbow for some static machinery discussions and drainage appraisal.

Please bring suitable footwear and clothing for a field walk and outside discussion.

BASIS and NRoSO points will be available.

Jason Hendy, Knowledge Exchange Manager - Cereals & Oilseeds