Farmer turns to Florida for the ideal grassland aerator
In the good old days, growing grass in Britain used to be straightforward – it rained all winter and then when things began to warm up and dry out in spring, pastureland started to sprout. Then, come summer, you mowed it all down and rushed to get it in the shed before the rains returned.
Now, though, there’s a whole lot more to consider. You need to get at least two or three cuts off the same area to satisfy the UK’s heavier stocking rates. Add to that the UK’s increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and you have to grab your chances while you can.
Of course what that means is that farmers often end up running on the land when they shouldn’t be. Soft, squidgy and often waterlogged soils get run down by big, heavy machines with the inevitable result that the all-important six inches below the surface have all traces of life squeezed out of them.
And that’s where Somerset cattle producer Mark Heywood found himself two years ago when he realised the puddling and surface run-off in his fields was having a serious impact on grass yields.
Having read about the positive impact grassland aerators can have on sward health and productivity, he felt sure that this was the route to go down but found the timing was key.
“Farming on the edge of the Somerset Levels, our land is wet for much of the year but then, come the end of summer it bakes hard,” explains Mark.
“This is exactly the time when need to get in there with the slotter. Because it’s dry, the blades don’t smear and the soil fractures easily making for natural drainage fissures.”
“We needed a different approach, so late one night I had a Google session and found something that looked much better. The only problem was that it was in Florida.”
6in long paddle-type blades cut slots at 90deg to the direction of travel but barely disturb the surface thanks to a smaller following flat roller, added on farm.
With its hefty 1.05m (42in) diameter roller and 150mm (6in) long gusseted, paddle-type blades running perpendicular to the direction of travel, he was sure that the Lawson Aerator was the right tool for the job. Without even seeing it in the flesh, he placed an order for a £7000 slotter/roller.
A few months later it arrived at Longstone Farm, Aller, near Bridgewater. The family-run business extends to some 400ha (1000 acres) with a mix of arable, permanent pasture, short-term grass leys and maize.
“We’ve found that by aerating grassland we’ve dramatically improved productivity,” says Mark.
Other producers in the area have shown an interest in the Lawson machine and Mark now sends it out on hire and plans to bring more in from the US.