No soil unturned
A world-leading expert on zero tillage will be in Gisborne next week to talk to interested farmers about reducing cost and improving soil quality.
Ed Winkle will be at David Clark’s Opou Station, Manutuke on Monday from 11am-noon.
Mr Winkle is the owner of HyMark Consulting LLC, a farm consulting firm established in 1994 to provide professional farm services to farm operations throughout the US.
He was named National No-Till Innovative Consultant at the 2000 National No-Till Conference.
He has presented at the National No-Till Conference for six years, plus the Innovative Farmers of Ontario, the Pennsylvania Corn Growers and many other professional workshops and conferences. A certified crop adviser, he holds a BS and MS in Agriculture from The Ohio State University.
Mr Clark’s cropping operation at Manutuke uses controlled traffic and strip tillage, which has proved successful in the Gisborne district where the issues are more related to heavy clay soils which do not like traffic.
All the tractors and implements are the same width and travel on the same tramline every time.
As well as improved soil health and corresponding yields, the business is enjoying the efficiencies of going from eight-row to 12-row equipment.