Better Farming Ontario | August 2024

FOCUS ON TILLAGE Revolutionizing Agriculture with Variable Rate Tillage NEW INNOVATIONS ARE BRINGING TILLAGE INTO THE PRECISION AG ERA The Benefits of Variable Rate Tillage Variable rate tillage technology offers numerous benefits to farmers. By adjusting tillage intensity based on soil type, compaction levels, and crop requirements, farmers can achieve better soil health, decreased soil erosion, reduced fuel consumption, and improved crop yields. Salford Independent Series with Switchblade Shanks One of the standout products in Salford’s lineup is the Independent Series. I-Series machines can be equipped with hydraulically controlled Switchblade shanks for increased tillage intensity when needed. This enables farmers to apply the tillage that’s needed for specific soil zones within a field. This control minimizes soil disruption, preserving soil structure and moisture content, which are critical for healthy crop growth. Josh Kettle, Tillage Product Manager at Salford Group, uses an I-Series with Switchblade shanks on 15inch spacing on his family’s farm in southwestern Ontario. “Lifting the shanks when they aren’t needed increases fuel efficiency and reduces wear and tear on the equipment,” says Kettle. “My family’s operation invested in this technology for lower operating costs and longer equipment life.” Kettle noted that the shanks can be engaged on headlands or in compacted tire tracks and disengaged in areas where only the vertical tillage action of the I-Series is needed. HALO VRT: Maximum Adjustability Salford’s HALO VRT (Variable Rate Tillage) takes high-speed, precision farming to the next level with hydraulically adjustable blade angles on a narrow folding frame. This machine allows farmers to fine-tune the intensity of tillage operations on the go. The HALO VRT’s adjustability makes it suitable for a wide range of tillage practices, from primary tillage to seedbed preparation. Producers can choose an aggressive blade angle to incorporate the maximum amount of residue or level ruts from other operations, but in erodible ground, such as hills or waterways, the blades can be set to a 2-degree angle for continued residue management with minimal tillage. A recent addition to the HALO VRT lineup is the new 15-foot wide model, designed for use with 200300 horsepower tractors. This model provides an optimal balance of power and efficiency, making it ideal for mid-sized farms. “I think we’ve gone from having a mulch finisher, field cultivator, high-speed disk, a regular disk, and now, just basically running two HALO VRTs instead of having all that equipment,” says Dennis Ivers of Ivers Family Farms in St. Francisville, Illinois. One of the Ivers’ VRTs is equipped with the new 56N cover crop seeder. Dennis went on to say, “I like cover crops where they’re needed, in areas where you’ve got erosion on hillsides and things. And I thought, man, this is just what we need. We can just turn that rye off and on when we want it.” Precision Tillage Automation Salford Group is pushing the boundaries of precision tillage technology even further later this year with the release of a new product that will include automation features such as cameras for guidance. This move towards automation signifies a shift from the current manually controlled systems to more advanced, selfguiding systems that reduce the need for manual intervention Automation will offer producers the ability to conduct tillage operations with even greater accuracy and speed, while minimizing soil disruption and optimizing productivity. These advancements can help farmers tackle the challenges of modern agriculture, such as labor shortages and the need for increased efficiency, while maintaining the high standards of soil health and crop performance that Salford products are known for. To see more agricultural equipment solutions, go to salfordgroup.com or call 1-866-442-1293. I-2200 vertical tillage tool with SwitchBlade shanks disengaged. HALO VRT - Variable Rate Tillage - equipped with 56N Cover Crop Seeder. Camera guidance system on new Salford tillage equipment. 64 Promotional Supplement Tillage | August 2024

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