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Land drainage brings clear returns this season Significant rainfall totals in many parts of the UK over the past few months have highlighted the benefits of investing in land drainage schemes to remove excess water from the land, according to Tim Sisson, of William Morfoot Ltd.
Autumn 2019 saw horrific harvesting conditions and, in many cases, the inability to carry out fieldwork including the all-important autumn drilling program. The weather conditions created considerable extra cost – operations have been far slower, and backup equipment (and labour) has been needed to pull out stuck machinery, plus soil damage has been immense. In a normal year, land drainage is proven to aid average yields. A 25-35 per cent uplift in yield on comprehensively drained land is widely accepted as the typical improvement seen. In a wet season, land drainage provides a whole new level of value. It can provide the difference between being able to physically travel on a field or not. Many growers have commented that drainage investment has paved the way for wheat crops to go in the ground or potato crops to be harvested this autumn, whilst undrained land has been impassable. Comprehensive drainage schemes provide greater crop uniformity. It allows for fields to travel consistently from an operational perspective, while major arable operations such as drilling, harvesting and spraying can be done in smaller work windows. It also reduces stress for decision makers. Most importantly, it adds significant value to the bottom line. This year, the potential financial value that it provides is greater than normal. Many farmers have commented that land drainage investment can pay for itself overnight. William Morfoot, which delivers land drainage solutions to farms across the UK, will be attending Lamma ’20 to discuss options for farms, to remove some of the risks and concerns associated with excess rainfall. Hall 10, Stand 10.806
www.he-va.co.uk
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