Balancing farming and the environment
By taking better care of our soil and coupling innovation with regenerative farming practices, we're able to work in better harmony with the countryside.
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Soil health is at the heart of what we do
How do we reduce the impact on the environment yet still increase our crop yield and farming efficiencies for our own and partner farms? By taking care of our soil. Our soil health management supports growing clean quality crops from rich living soil with plenty of microorganisms. By improving organic matter, we encourage soil health and reduce the need for pesticides, preventing resistant weeds with reduced variable input demand.
We reduce the intensity of farming through regenerative agriculture practices. We measure, evaluate, and plan how to introduce regenerative farming practices on every piece of land we take on. We're always trying to repair and improve soil health and maximise species diversity. And our existing services, like our lab and our crop hospital, help identify challenges and how best to move forward.
Soil sampling
Soil sampling – narrowing down soil into one-hectare blocks allows us to specifically target and improve areas to reach their full potential by sampling soil and applying nutrients
Diverse rotation
We rotate crops throughout the year by combining modern technology with traditional farming practices. Using Integrated Crop Management helps conserve wildlife havens, enrich biodiversity, and improve pest control, soil health, crop quality and yield, and cash flow. We also simplify labour management and farming efficiencies
Progressing innovation
Working closely with manufacturers to design and develop machinery helps us to enhance the soil whilst maintaining our pledge to help feed the world and future generations in a sustainable way
Tailored fertiliser application
Tailored fertiliser application – using organic fertilisers, products from livestock manures and artificial fertilisers helps improve the soil health
Precise and CTF technology
Using precision equipment like a precision sprayer, seeder and planter, and fertiliser applicator, we are more efficient in our farming practices. Controlled traffic farming (CTF) minimises the impact on the soil structure and damage to the land
Improved drainage
Well drained soils maximise crop growth rates and yields, whereas wet soils produce anaerobic conditions that result in poor root development and smaller plants which are more susceptible to disease and competition
Innovative farming practices
Our Managing Director, James Peck, undertook a Nuffield Scholarship back in 2010, "Arable Farming, Where Next?" and travelled the world, studying farming practices in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, and Argentina. One of the key takeaways was how innovative practices are progressing positive change, and controlled traffic farming (CTF) adoption was essential for P.X. Farms as part of James' Adapt | Innovate | Overcome ethos. James and the team have continued to implement new approaches, test what works and what doesn't, and continue innovating.
Controlled traffic farming (CTF)
CTF is where you adjust all your machinery to run on the same tramlines, reducing the compaction and damage to soil.
We've adjusted all our machinery axel widths to 11.9m width and 1.8m internal track spacing.
We've reduced fuel cost by an average of 12%, improved soil health and crop yield with less compacted soil, improved drainage, and reduced wear and tear on machinery.
CTF has helped us improve our soil quality across our and our partner farms to the point that we've been able to grow different crops in varying soil structures.
For example, our heavy clay soil in Cambridge has improved so much that we grew successfully potatoes in it.
Precision technology
Yield and nutrient mapping
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Yield and nutrient mapping helps us quickly detect weed, nutrient deficiency, drainage and soil compaction issues. Part of our long-term soil health strategy, we're able to implement a more targeted, efficient approach to increase soil potential and help areas that require more attention.
By gathering important data over time, we can make more informed decisions and review performance over time, adjusting as we need.
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Real time kinematic (RTK)
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By using GPS with fixed-position base stations to transmit signals, our applications can be more accurate. Aligning with the base stations helps to correct positioning errors caused by the atmosphere.
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Our precision drill and sprayer machinery has sectional control from RTK, reducing inputs by 3-5%, resulting in less pollution. We use a sprayer instead of a spinning disc to increase accuracy and precision which is less affected by factors like wind, helping us apply the correct quantities to the land.
Speak with us
Find out more about our farming practices:
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James Peck, Managing Director
01954 210211