| | Fuel savings in tillage may come from not doing any, says an AgTech Centre engineer
The most effective way to reduce fuel costs associated with tillage is to till less, says a long-time Farm Machinery Engineer with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD).
Fuel use varies from farm to farm, says Murray Green, an engineer with the AAFRD Agricultural Engineering Branch. "Fuel consumption is affected by a number of factors, including equipment type, speed, depth, soil type, crop residues, soil moisture content, field shape and the number of tillage operations."
But studies have shown that fuel cost savings are substantial when a direct seeding system is adopted over a convention till system, says Green. "The fuel cost per acre pegs direct seeding at $2 per acre and $5 per acre for conventional till. But a $4 to $5 difference is quite common." When these studies were done, farm diesel fuel was $0.30 per litre. Today's fuel prices are in the $0.40 per litre range.
This can mean thousands of dollars in savings, says Green. Those savings aren't as clear when comparing a strictly no till system to direct seeding where optional procedures meant to maximize return, such as harrowing, spreading pre-emergent herbicide and so forth are added into the mix.
A producer must weigh all the costs and benefits of adopting such a system, but there is no doubt reducing tillage will reduce fuel consumption, says Green. "Changes in input costs, planting rotations and timing as well as new equipment, are examples of costs that might be factored in. A farmer isn't going to adopt a direct seeding system because of fuel savings alone, but when added to the benefits of increased yield (depending on the soil zone and weather), soil conservation and reduced time in the field, it is an option worth considering."
In the Dark Brown Soil Zone of Alberta, crop yields are similar or higher than in conventional-till systems. Crops perform better in direct seeding and no till systems because more plant-available water is preserved in the soil during dry weather.
Reducing the overall depth of double-shoot openers will also save on fuel and often improve crop emergence, says Green. But farmers shouldn't plant too shallow, he cautions.
"The best way to save on fuel is keep the tractor parked. No till and reduced till operations are a good way to do just that," adds Green. |
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