Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    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
      • Whatever happened to?
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • National Arable and Grassland Awards
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. May 2025 issue
      2. April 2025 issue
      3. March 2025 issue
      4. 2025 Tyre Developments supplement
      5. February 2025 issue
      6. National Arable and Grassland Awards supplement
      7. January 2025 issue
      8. December 2024 issue
      9. November 2024 issue
      10. October 2024 issue
      11. September 2024 issue
      12. August 2024 Issue
      13. 2024 Drills and Seeds supplement
      14. July 2024 Issue
      15. Cereals Supplement
      16. June 2024 Issue
      17. May 2024 Issue
      18. April 2024 Issue
      19. Tyres and Tracks Supplement
      20. March 2024 Issue
      21. National Arable & Grassland Award – Meet the Finalists
      22. February 2024 Issue
      23. January 2024 Issue
      24. December 2023
      25. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      26. November 2023
      27. October 2023
      Featured

      May 2025 issue available now

      By Matthew TiltMay 1, 2025
      Recent

      May 2025 issue available now

      May 1, 2025

      April 2025 issue available now

      April 1, 2025

      March 2025 issue available now

      February 28, 2025
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Precision Farming

    Terramap saves Derbyshire farmer in liming costs

    Matthew TiltBy Matthew TiltAugust 14, 20233 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    The Hutchinsons Terramap system uses gamma-ray radiation technology to deliver field mapping in resolutions of more than 800 points per hectare, revealing all common nutrient levels, pH, soil texture, organic matter and CEC, as well as elevation and available plant water.

    After success in the arable sector, Hutchinsons is now reporting increased interest in the Terramap service from livestock farmers. The Greasley family runs an 80 hectare farm in Derbyshire, with son Josh working as an agronomist for Hutchinsons.

    “I wanted to trial Terramap on our own farm to see for myself what the cost-benefits would be of using the system on grassland, over our traditional soil sampling approach,” he explained

    “I was hoping that by adopting variable rate applications of lime and only targeting areas that had a low pH, we could save enough money to cover the costs of the Terramapping and maybe if we were lucky even a bit more than that!

    “For the trial. we chose a field that was just coming out of HLS that had received a small amount of lime and organic manure applied to it each year.

    “We had the field soil sampled and followed up with Terramap. The results showed varied pH indices across the field ranging from 5.6-6.5. These differences can arise for several reasons such as differences in soil types, past management practices etc.

    “Using the results from Terramap allowed us to create variable application maps, with a view to standardizing the pH across the field to somewhere around 6.5, as the correct pH between 6-7 maximises nutrient uptake.”

    Liming helps to reduce acidity, unlocking nutrients such as phosphate and potash. By using variable rates, areas with low pH levels can be targeted to bring the whole field up to its optimal range. Looking at how this helped to reduce costs, Mr Greasley said: “Instead of all of the field receiving a blanket application of 5000kg/ha, by only applying the lime where it was needed, we only used and average of 3050kg/ha, saving almost 2000kg/ha.

    “With the costs of lime and spreading at £34/t, we saved 1.95t/ha, working out at an overall cost saving of £66/ha saving.”

    “At £29/ha for the standard Terramap service including OM measurement, the savings on lime have not only covered the costs of the mapping but also saved on lime.”

    He continued: “We wanted to repeat the exercise in an arable context, so carried out a similar trial on a neighbouring farm, Buckhazels Farm owned by Mr Burton.

    “The field had come out of wheat and was going into barley, so the field was scanned in August, before the rape was drilled.

    “Soil sampling of this field showed an average pH of 6.3. However, Terramap showed this ranged from 5.8 to as high as 8 in one corner.

    “We were looking to raise the average of the field to 7, and to do this via a blanket approach would mean applying an additional 4900kg/ha. However, by adopting the variable rate maps created by Terramap and only applying the lime to the areas of the fields where it was needed, only 3840kg/ha was needed, saving 1060kg/ha.

    “With lime and spreading costs at £34/t, a saving of £35/ha was made. With a standard Terramap scanning costing £25/ha, once again Terramap paid for itself and more.”

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleNew customer support team manager at Michelin
    Next Article AB Agri acquires National Milk Records
    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

    Kubota adds Value Line Steering option

    May 7, 2025

    PTx Trimble launches new guidance controller

    April 30, 2025

    Lab results confirm hyperspectral accuracy

    April 11, 2025
    Most Read Stories

    Kuhn highlights machines available for grant funding

    May 12, 2025

    West Midlands council switches to electric ATVs

    May 12, 2025

    Bunning to showcase spreader range at Royal Highland Show

    May 12, 2025
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

    Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

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