No-Till Expertise From Argentina

Several Argentinian implements were showcased at a recent farmers’ day that focused on no-till and conservation farming. Pieter Dempsey reports.

- Pieter Dempsey

Argentina’s farmers are world leaders in the implementation of no-till and conservation agriculture practices. Farmers in Argentina first started conducting no-till farming trials in 1977.

These days, approximately 92% of crops in that country are cultivated using this system, and farmers have developed solutions aimed specifically at getting the best results from these cultivation methods.

South African farmers who practise no-till or other types of conservation tillage, and those considering switching from conventional tillage, recently had the opportunity to see some of the most popular Argentinian no-till equipment on display at a farmers’ day in Standerton.

The event was hosted by, among others, Argentina’s National Institute of Agricultural Technology and Argentine Federal Investment Council.

COARSE GRAIN

One of the machines on display was the Apache 27000+ no-till coarse grain planter (Photo 1), which has been on the market for a number of years.

The planter features variable row spacing up to 36 rows at 52,5cm spacing, and can be used for a variety of crops, including maize, soya bean, wheat, sunflower and sorghum.

The planter has a strong tubular mainframe with front toolbar. The row unit has a sturdy articulated parallel linkage with two side, semipneumatic gauge wheels.