Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Magazine Subscriptions
    •  
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Podcast
    • Events
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Arable & Livestock

    Be more cost-effective with stubble management

    Matthew TiltBy Matthew TiltMarch 17, 20224 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Spearhead Stubble Master 730 v2

    Every business sector is feeling the pinch these days. Agriculture is no different. It’s therefore helpful to understand how resource savings and efficiencies can make a huge difference to operational overheads and yield performance.

    Spearhead Machinery developed the Starcut Blade System over ten years ago which afforded the company an Agritechnica silver medal for innovation. The aim was to create a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach towards the management of crop stubble residue and cover crops.

    Less fuel, faster cutting

    Giving precise pulverisation, whilst requiring lower tractor power than competitive fixed knife designs, Starcut delivers ultimate efficiency and performance. This reduces fuel consumption and increases forward speed.

    Two cutting heights

    The Starcut Blade System cuts the stubble at two different heights, delivering a minimum of nine cuts per rotation.

    Spearhead Starcut Blade System

    The first row of blades incorporates Spearhead’s coveted high updraught lift system. It provides maximum suction to lift the material into the cutting zone whilst contributing towards mixing soil and dust with the mulched residue. This accelerates decomposition.

    A second, longer row of blades in a higher plane, is dual-edged and flat. The batter and mulch the material under the smooth, flat deck to provide an unrivalled chop length.

    Starcut’s mulching performance helps micro-organisms to flourish, releasing important nutrients back into the soil. It’s also less likely fungus and diseases will carry over, contributing to higher yields in the following season.

    Stubble management principles

    Coupled with its machinery development, Spearhead worked closely with European farmers and internationally acclaimed universities to develop the Stubble Management Principles. This provides farmers with a concise list of benefits from introducing effective stubble management as an important aspect of their harvest regime.

    Faster harvest – complete your combining faster by raising the header, mulching instead with the mower outside of the pressured harvest window. You will safely store your crops faster too, away from the elements and ahead of any potential breaks in the weather.

    Long stubble after the combine – You can increase the capacity of the combine by around 20% when you raise the header by just 10cm. In years when there is increased rainfall, this can provide a distinct output benefit. 

    Working hours and diesel use – The Starcut blade system is highly regarded for its pulverisation and distribution of the chopped material.  With a forward speed of approximately 15km per hour, you can effectively cover ground much faster during your harvest.

    Even when adding a secondary process of tractor and mower, you still dramatically reduce diesel consumption by turning off the combine chopper.

    Faster decomposition – Mixing chopped stubble with dust and soil accelerates decomposition. Micro-organisms flourish prompting a controlled release of nutrients from the decaying organic material. This in turn reduces fungus and disease transfer and benefits the structure of your soil.

    Residue distribution – As combines get bigger, it can be difficult to distribute processed straw across the full header width, especially in windy conditions. Running the Flex Wing mower diagonally across the ground chops and mulches leftover material closer to the soil and across the full width of the machine.

    Pests and insects – Stubble management has successfully managed pests including the “Death Watch Beetle” – one of the world’s most common crop destroying insects. By chopping across and flaring the lower stalk of the plant in a maize crop, the beetle’s habitat is destroyed.

    Waste seed activation – Stubble management is especially effective in rapeseed as it activates waste seeds. The chopped stubble forms a productive carpet and retains the exact moisture required for spilt rapeseeds to become active. This helps crop development in the following year. 

    Grass seed management – Traditionally, Spearhead Flex Wing mowers have been used to manage grass seed fields. Using the Starcut Blade System, you can now cut even closer to the ground creating a better mulch than ever before.

    For more information on stubble management visit the specialist Spearhead website www.stubblemanagement.com or request your free stubble management brochure by emailing [email protected].

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleKubota launches Work Smarter warranty scheme
    Next Article Krone and Lemken join forces for autonomous project
    Matthew Tilt
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

    Machinery editor for Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer. Matt has worked as an agricultural machinery journalist for five years, following time spent in his family’s Worcestershire contracting business. When he’s not driving or writing about the latest farm equipment, he can be found in his local cinema, or with his headphones in, reading a good book.

    Read Similar Stories

    Cereals Crop Plots – An interview with LSPB’s Chris Guest

    May 6, 2022

    Cereals Crop Plots – An interview with NIAB’s Kevin Middleton

    May 5, 2022

    Cereal Crop Plots – An interview with Rothamsted Research’s James Clarke

    May 4, 2022
    Most Popular Stories

    Air-Seal Products helps operators keep moving

    May 23, 2022

    John Deere updates specialist tractors with more comfort and power

    May 23, 2022

    Cope Seeds offers Nelson wheat for high protein efficiency

    May 23, 2022
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2022 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Farm Business
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_191 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo