FB PARRISH AND SON

Controlled Traffic Farming

At

Lodge Farm

Paul Cripsey

Farms manager

Cropping

• Combinable crops 485 ha.

• Onions-shallots 160 ha.

• Potatoes 65 ha.

Background

• Onion and potato production at Lodge

Farm utilises a wide variety of soil types

• Concern over the ever increasing size and

weight of modern farm equipment

How do we deliver CTF?

• A challenge!

• System is based on 1.83m!

• Suits onion and potato production

• All existing machines based on 1.83m

• All new onion investment based on

3*1.83m

• CTF now based on multiples of 5.49m

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

1930 1940 1980 2006 2006

Soil stress at 0.4 m depth

14 fold increase

Soils are now over-stressed!

12 t

Tracking is extensive every

year

• Rake, disc x2, drill, roll, harvest

• 127% tracking

Typical min-till system

Introduction to CTF

• Onion and Potato production has used

seasonal trafficking systems for over 20

years

• Steering guidance system already

established (SF2).

• Met Tim and introduced to CTF, and the

simple principle of organising our traffic

lanes seemed a logical way forward

• CTF confines all tracks to least possible area of

permanent traffic lanes

What is CTF?

– CTF is a traffic management system– it’s not prescriptive about tillage

Planning

• 2 self propelled harvesters

• 3 trailed harvesters

• 3 windrowers

• 3 planters/drills etc

• All using a bedwidth of 1.83 metres, this

had to be the base for any CTF system

Lexion 580 TT on

2.83 m t rack

centres and 0.56

m wide tracks

9.14 m harvesting

Lexion 580 TT

on 2.83 m t rack

centres and 0.56

m wide tracks

9.14 m harvesting

Lexion 580 TT on

2.83 m t rack

centres and 0.56

m wide tracks

9.14 m harvesting

5.5 m drill 5.5 m drill 5.5 m drill 5.5 m drill 5.5 m drill

Extra long grain auger (7.377 m)

m)

Lexion 580 TT on

2.83 m t rack

centres and 0.56

m wide tracks

9.14 m harvesting

How do we deliver CTF?

• Base width is 1.83m*3=5.49 metres

• Flatlift increased to 3.66 metres

• Corn drill decreased to 5.49 metres

• Sprayer increased to 27.5 metres

• Combine header increased to 12 metre to

cut 10.98 metres

• Topdown increased from 5.5m to 6 m to

work at 5.49 m

• SF2 signal upgraded to RTK

CTF

The remaining challenges

• Implement steering essential for working in

1.83m beds

• Harvester wheeltracks do not match our

system

• Combine is 2.7 metres!

• Onion harvester is 2.73 metres

• Potato harvester is 2.7 metres

• Can we move 30,000 tonnes from our

fields without damage to the soils?

Onion harvester main

problemElevator position and supporting wheel incompatible

Sprayer

Data Tracked UncroppedPercentage 16% 3%

Bedmaker

Cultivator

Dutch harrow

Planter

Topper

Windrower

Tracking without harvester16% tracked area

(allowing ± 2.5 cm guidance error)

Percentage 42% 3%

Sprayer

Harvester 1&4

Harvester 2&5

Data Tracked Uncropped

Bedmaker

Cultivator

Dutch harrow

Planter

Topper

Windrower

Tracking with harvester

42% tracked area(allowing ± 2.5 cm guidance error)

Conclusions

• Controlling traffic is a logical way forward

• Can deliver sustainability for our industry

• Has its challenges, as machine

manufactures are not delivering with CTF

in mind.