The Agrarbetriebe Schliebener Land agri-business is located in southern Brandenburg between Berlin and Dresden. In addition to the 1,700 dairy cows kept there, 2,150 ha is under cultivation. Highly heterogeneous soils and low rainfall of around 400 l per year are the challenges. Direct sowing has been practised here for 6 years. Sowing has been carried out with the Primera DMC for 4 years. The goals of general manager Björn Förster are as follows:
- Permanent coverage of the soil with catch crops to protect the soil against evaporation
- Humus formation
- Minimal soil tillage
- Conservation of resources
For Björn Förster, the catch crop is a major crop rotation component. A catch crop is sown directly after combining before almost every crop. Depending on the crop rotation, the main crop is sown directly or into the sprayed off crop via the chisel opener of the Primera DMC. The tines mean that the catch crop stays on the field and protects the soil against drying out and evaporation. Furthermore, the catch crop serves as a nitrogen source and ensures the continuous formation of humus. This not only saves valuable soil moisture but also time and resources!
Why Primera DMC?
- Extremely high work rates
- Speeds of 18 km/h are no problem
- 70 ha/day at a working width of 6 m
- Placement is very precise at high speeds
- Direct seeder → water-conserving
- Tines do not destroy soil life or the soil structure.
- No blockages. The Primera DMC easily copes with a large amount of organic matter thanks to a row width of 18.75 cm.
- Liquid fertiliser application directly at the tines
- Chisel opener clears the seed channel and places the seed precisely
- No hair-pinning effect – crop residues completely removed from the seed furrow
Paul Nogatz (responsible for sowing) is a qualified farmer and sees the advantages of the Primera DMC:
- Very large seed hopper divided into two sections
- No need for stubble breaking or primary soil tillage
- Reduced work time
- Extremely simple operation as a result of easy calibration via the TwinTerminal
- High area coverage
- Very precise placement depth due to individual depth control of the coulters
- Optimum use of water – because water is a scarce commodity
“Especially in view of climate change, the Primera DMC supports us with water-conserving sowing. The catch crops mean that we save valuable water and can still achieve a good and uniform placement depth, field emergence and yields through the chisel opener!”
