Thursday, March 28, 2024

Soil-saving efforts take to air

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Helicropping is gathering considerable interest among farmers and advisers for the effective establishment of improved pastures and fodder crops while maintaining the soil structure and avoiding erosion. Hugh Stringleman looks at the latest trials.
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A larger-than-expected audience of farmers and rural advisers saw the procedures and results of helicropping demonstrated at a field day at Waihora Station on the Central Plateau earlier this month.

The practice is being hailed as a way of landowners addressing the huge loss of soil through erosion, nearly half of which is from pastoral land.

While especially relevant on hill-country, the practice is cost-effective on the full range of land contour types and, when done correctly, provides a valuable source of feed without the risk of erosion.

Sustainable Helicropping Group chairman Colin Armer said the aerial no-till approach establishes crops and renews pastures without touching the ground or disturbing the soil, more like nature.

The group has $1 million of Government and industry funding. Backers include the Sustainable Farming Fund, Beef + Lamb, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Nufarm and seed suppliers Agricom and PGG Wrightson.

The technique involves precision use of herbicides, fertiliser, seeds and pest controls applied by helicopters. 

“We know aerial no-till works and we believe it’s a potential game-changer for any farmer wanting to grow crops and renew pasture profitably with minimal soil disturbance,” Armer said.

“This project was the next step because we can now capture learnings and develop a system for farmers which is proven, profitable and sustainable across a wide range of farm and soil types – including showing where this approach is not suitable.”

The health and safety aspects alone make helicropping an attractive option compared with tractor work.

“Previously multiple operations with different drivers of lots of machinery on varying terrain raised the risk of accidents.

“Now we have skilled and very careful pilots flying on GPS co-ordinates and delivering precise applications.”

Armer said his seven-year experience with helicropping on the Mangakino dairy-support farm, Waihora Station, in the Lake Taupo/upper Waikato River catchments, began with areas that tractors couldn’t get over safely.

As technology has improved and pilots gained experience the annual helicropping area grew larger.

“Now 80% of cropping (at Waihora) is done by helicopter and 20% by tractor.

“Our figures show it is about the same cost as conventional cultivation but a bit dearer than direct drilling.

“The average cost for us has been about $1350/ha, divided into $805 for chemicals, seed, pest-control etc and $540 for the seven flight passes by helicopter.”

Wet areas on Waihora have been fenced and soil bunds protect waterways, he said.

“If there is any soil movement we can capture it before it escapes the paddock.

“Feeding off the crops occurs in larger breaks with three or four hours of grazing followed by removal of stock to pasture.”

In response to the suggestion he can afford an expensive option, Armer said the costs are no greater than cultivation and farmers have an obligation to minimise their effects on soil structure and water quality.

Ballance fertiliser and forage specialist Murray Lane said GPS-supported precision tools are now available for fertiliser and seed placement along with Accu-Flow nozzles to confidently spray without drift. 

The farmers in the helicropping project group achieved profitable returns and aerial no-till also helped them meet their obligations as environmental custodians. 

“Their success comes from strictly following a prescribed process that reduces risks both to a profitable return and to soil conservation. 

“There are no short cuts,” Lane said.

In a Grasslands Association paper in 2017, written with Bruce Willoughby of Ecometric Consulting, Lane said farmer experiences show winter feed grown on hill country is a game changer.

Growing rather than maintaining stock over winter allows target weights to be achieved earlier than by relying on spring feed.

Crop establishment costs vary from $1000 to $1500/ha depending on helicopter travel time and the number of tasks done, including herbicide spraying, seed, fertiliser, slug bait and insecticide applications.

The type of terrain dictates which machine is best for the job and though helicopters can be constrained by wind, rain and low cloud, crop establishment can be done on wet soil that would preclude ground operations.

The result is earlier and better crops before soils dry out.

Crop use is generally straightforward and buffer strips for hot wires and access can be programmed into the helicopter flight paths.

Lane and Willoughby said their interviews with early adopters showed helicropping is a good fit in farming practices that does not conflict with environmental custody.

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