Bashkortostan seminar presents compelling case for strip-till

The substantial cost savings and yield increases achieved by strip-till and no-till cultivation techniques were key talking points at a major seminar and demonstration at Krasnaya Bashkiria farm in Bashkortostan.

Held jointly by AGCO and its Dealer Delta Agriculture, the event was also supported by Bashkortostan’s Ministry of Agriculture. Among the 50 guests were representatives of the Ministry, local district authorities and heads of the largest farms in the region. Machines on display from AGCO brands included the Challenger 7610 strip-till cultivator and Challenger 9830 air-seeder.

Strip-till is a relatively new tillage method being introduced into farming practice in Eastern Europe and is gaining ground among sunflower and maize growers looking to boost both efficiency and productivity. It is classed as a conservation system which uses Conventional and No-Till tillage to promote sustainable farming. It combines the soil-drying and warming benefits of conventional tillage, with the soil-protecting advantages of conservation tillage. The strip-till technique involves disturbing only the portion of soil (or strip) that will contain the seedbed row. It leaves the residue of a prior crop between the new crop’s growing-rows. Chemicals and fertiliser can also be applied at the same time as tillage.

Guests at the AGCO demonstration event were greeted by Mr Rail Fakhrislamov, owner of the 16,000 ha Krasnaya Bashkiria and Mr Ildar Nasyrov Deputy Minister of Agriculture. Professor Khalil Safin from the Russian Academy of Sciences kicked off the day’s agenda with a presentation on the application of new technologies in agriculture.

Delta Agriculture’s Rinat Amirov gave a detailed insight into the benefits of Challenger strip-till cultivators. “The case for strip-till is compelling,” he says. “The prime costs of sunflower and maize production decrease by 30-40% thanks to lower fuel, labour and fertiliser inputs. On top of that, there is less soil erosion, while spring sowing can be started earlier. All in all, growers can expect yield increases of 20-30%.”