The production of a quality fodder has to meet many criteria: it should combine the feed value, palatability and digestive quality the cattle needs, while meeting profitability requirements. Finding this balance is a science of its own. It requires the implementation of appropriate agricultural practices but also the ability to face the many external factors damaging the composition of the meadows.
Well conscious of this reality and of the financial consequences such damages can have, JOSKIN developed a complete range of implements to maintain and renovate meadows in order to ensure the production of enough quality grass to the farmers.
The choice of an equipment is never easy to make. The aim of this guide is therefore to help you to find the implement that will best meet your needs according to your meadow specifications and the damages on it.
The flora is a main indicator of a meadow state. Ideally, the vegetation cover should be homogeneous and constantly have the following composition:
Several hazards can however lead to an unbalance and damage the meadow:
To prevent such an unbalance, a fast and appropriate reaction is needed. It is therefore useful to understand how a harrow works in order to determinate the most suited model to react.
The specific action of each of our harrows is the result of a combination of 5 factors:
The great strength of the JOSKIN harrows is their ability to efficiently face the various specific cases that can occur. Even if all our models benefit from an outstanding multi-functionality, they all have a specific design in order to face some damage types more precisely and with greater insistence, depending on their intensity and frequency of occurrence.
The specific action of each of our harrows is the result of a combination of 5 factors:
Dungs in grazed meadows are fertilizing elements that can easily be profitable. Milk cows indeed only use a small part of the elements they eat and give back a large part on site, forming in this way areas with a high concentrate of mineral elements. These areas are however not evenly spread over the pasture. If the farmer does not react, their odour can cause areas with leftovers but also increase the risk of empty spots since the good grass will be smothered. They will then rapidly be filled by grass weed. The solution is to spread dungs over the meadow in order to homogeneously distribute their fertilizing value over the ground. This operation can be carried out the whole year through. However, it is recommended to do it on a short grass and right before a rainy period for the grass to be rapidly "washed" and not to loose its palatability.
Moss usually grows massively on a ground with a too acidic pH. It also grows on shadowy or badly aerated areas, where the earth remains constantly too heavy and too wet. Pulling out this moss can easily be done by mechanically scraping the ground by means of relatively spring tines. This operation is highly recommended to allow the meadow to breathe, increase its nitrification rate and therefore reunite all necessary conditions for the grass to grow.
The richer in worms and other micro-organisms your earth, the more likely moles will be attracted. The consequence of this colonization is however the repeated appearance of molehills on the surface. Level these small hills by means of semi-flexible scrapers is then more than recommended. This solution allows to level the ground in order to prevent a premature wear of the mower blades, but also to avoid the presence of earth in the fodder when mowing. If the surface area of the meadow is half covered with earth after the molehills were spread, it is recommended to overseed in order to prevent these areas from being invaded by undesired plants.
On a field, the soil structure is constantly under attack. Whether it is bad weather, pasture trampling or the repeated passage of agricultural machines, all this inevitably cause ground and structure compaction. In the autumn (after grazing) and spring, it is then necessary to aerate deeply (> 3 cm) by scraping more strongly than usual by means of rigid tines fitted with shares. Thanks to this process, the earth recover a lumpy structure, which ensures the good circulation of water and air, thereby enhancing the soil heating while stimulating its natural biological activity. This practice allows to significantly improve the grassland productivity and to get a denser and better fodder.
It is a decisive operation for the good health of a meadow. It includes a soft scraping of the first centimeters of the ground by means of successive rows of spring tines vibrating when touching the ground. This implies mechanically pulling up growing or grown grass weed, which allows to reduce their competition with the planted crop. Scarifying a meadow also allows to rake all organic waste (dead grass, leaves,...) that is mixed with the grass cover. This harmful layer asphyxiates the healthy roots but also prevents water from circulating into the ground, thereby enhancing the growth of moss. Combing regularly allows to better aerate the earth and to fortify the desired grass.
On the same principle, harrowing allows to remove the sealing crust appearing on the surface after heavy rains followed by a dry period. If it is not broken, this compact crust makes the soil waterproof and favours water stagnation on the surface in the event of bad weather, which can drown the flora. A last advantage of the scarification is that it prepares the soil before overseeding. The spring tines scrap and break the clods of earth, and generate a fine earth that is necessary for the germination of the seeds, while slightly leveling the ground.
If moles cause a slight difference in level on the surface, wild boars are responsible of much more damages. Depending on their needs, they are used to overturn the earth on more or less large areas with their snout looking up for food (earthworms, rodents, insects, etc.). Depending on the extent of the damages, we talk about roots or grubs. In both cases, the consequences are often heavy for the farmer: bare areas often lead to a more or less large profitability loss and open the door to invasive grass weeds like thistle and dock. The modification of the soil relief slows down the mechanical work and makes it uncomfortable and imprecise, and maximizes the risks of earth in the fodder. The possibilities of stones brought to the surface are also increased, causing a risk of premature wear of the material, or even its breakage. To avoid this, the damages caused by wild boars will have to be repaired as fast as possible. This should be done during dry weather and the soil will have to be scraped by means of a sturdy blade mounted on a half-flexible support.
Given these multiple aggressions, the grass cover does not always remain undamaged after a whole season. It is indeed not rare that an homogeneous loss of grass density is noticed of that more or less large empty areas appear, thereby causing a profitability loss. Depending on the proportion of remaining good grass (at least 30%), overseeding might be considered. The aim is to complete the flora cover on the meadow by introducing a selection of quickly germinating species improving the quality in the empty areas, so that they are not filled with undesired plants. The advantage of overseeding is to maintain a production while preserving the majority of the vegetation that is already present. Two conditions should however be met: scraping the ground to erase undesired plants and generating a fine earth that is necessary for the new seeds (it is more profitable to fit a seeder on its harrow). The soil will also have to be sufficiently warm and humid to allow a quick germination. Overseeding will therefore be done in the spring, or at the end of the summer, so that plants can grow enough to resist to the first droughts or frosts. If need be, it can be judicious to benefit from the animals' trampling to complete the work, in order to optimize the contact between the seeds and the earth.
Given their specific scope of action, our various harrows are designed to be used in combination with appropriate tractors. In this way, a hitching system that is compatible with these tractors is integrated on the harrow frame. The hitching type of your tractor is therefore also very important.
Like for any agricultural machinery, a harrow is an investment and it is therefore subject to profitability requirements. Its width is therefore a decisive selection criterion. It must directly be adapted to the surface area of the meadow to be worked on. A harrow with an appropriate width will indeed work less than an under-dimensioned model to cover the same surface. The repair costs of the meadow per hectare will therefore be lower. Furthermore, all tools will also work less. They will thus wear less rapidly.
The power of your tractor is another element to be taken into account when choosing your machine. The harrows have a certain weight. Furthermore, depending on the nature of the task to be carried out, the working depth and the type of terrain, the harrows will require an appropriate traction power.
To choose your harrow model, you have to clearly identify your need. The most appropriate solution is to determine the repairs you want to carry out in order to reestablish the balance in your meadow.