ctf and dutch farming sander bernaerts advisor organic...

CTF and Dutch farming

Sander Bernaerts

Advisor organic farming and conservation agriculture

CTF Europe

Samsø, DK, CTF Europe.eu, 2015

• 26% is below sea level (3000 polders), very flat land

• Second agricultural exporting country (harbour Rotterdam and important neighbours UK, FR, GER)

• 2% of the agricultural area is organic

• High value agriculture, lot of diversity

Introducing the Netherlands


Why CTF?

• Less soil compaction, better soil structure(*)

• Growing in non trafficked soil, less risk

• More nutrients thru mineralization(*)

• Drilling and planting is more precise, youth growth is better

• Less weed(*)

• (Sometimes) better yields(*)

• More workable days(*)

(*) = Confirmed in research


• Appr 50% organic arable/ vegetable farmers use seasonable CTF, few are almost full CTF

• Conventional CTF farmers: hardly non

• Appr 50 (bio + conventional) vegetable/arable farmers apply conservation agriculture (besides 10.000 ha south region slopes)

Figures CTF/ CA


Bron: Plant Research International Samsø, DK, CTF Europe.eu, 2015

1,5 m track width

4,5m mechanisatie

3m mechanisatie 3m mechanisatie 3m mechanisatie

4,5m mechanisatie

6m mechanisatie 6m mechanisatie

1,5mSamsø, DK, CTF Europe.eu, 2015

3m+ (3,10 - 3,20m) track width


1,5 m is not always logical

2,25 m

6 m working width

1,5m

2,25 m 1,5 m


Standard CTF Track width

1,50 mtr. Easy for onion en potato, more difficult for sugar beet,

cabbage (50cm), celleriac, set onion, spinach Often less investments Contract workers are welcome Limits tractor weight quickly

3,00 mtr (+) Standard 3 m machines need not be adapted Contract working is difficult/ transport not easy Adaptation tractor (is no rocket science) Almost any crop fits in without adapting Sometimes cheaper


• Rapid adaptation sCTF in organic vegetables/ arable farming

• Hardly no adaptation in conventional farming, despite of rtk GPS is used a lot

• 1,5m CTF is more used than 3m+ systems. Both are excellent workable systems

• CA is adapted slowly by organic and conventional farming, still 99% is ploughed

• CA is certainly working in an intensive rotation

• More experience with cover crops: - choices/ mixtures/ way to treat etc

Developments CTF NL


• Yields are in general the same (comparing ploughing and CA). Conventional + organic

• Sugar beet, grain, pasture often higher

• Yields in carrot are lower in CA

• Also several “mistakes” in research

• Deeper tillage seems important to maintain yields

CA research combining CTF ’09-’13


CTF and CA: 1+1=3?

• With CTF, tillage is less necessary

• CA works better without compaction

• With CA: no problems with baring capacity in the tracks

• Tracks remains in place

• Tracks are very usefull for managing CA

One leads to the other


ctf and dutch farming sander bernaerts advisor organic...

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