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Eco-schemes - Common European Union Policy

Ecoschemes, as part of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, promote sustainable management and environmental protection. These payments are granted to farmers for adopting environmentally and climate-friendly practices that exceed standard requirements. Farmers seeking ecoschemes must meet specific criteria and commit to implementing designated practices on their land. In essence, ecoschemes are agricultural techniques that enable the acquisition of additional funds. Each practice outlined in the regulation aims to benefit the environment, climate, and animal welfare, addressing climate change and protecting natural resources. This aligns with the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, emphasizing sustainable development and biodiversity preservation. Varied weather challenges necessitate increasingly vigilant approaches to agrotechnics by agricultural producers. The deliberate selection of specialized soil cultivation tools is essential.

In particular, it is to be cultivation:
- no-plough conservation
- Strip-Till.

In the context of increasingly severe climate change, conditionality and potential economic aid for the implementation of the aforementioned goals will necessitate changes for most farmers. Optimal solutions for technical and organizational dilemmas related to simplified farming systems will be sought under specific farm conditions. Eco-scheme financial benefits compel each farmer to consider, or even necessitate, the use of modern tools and cultivation machines that ensure the achievement of mandatory environmental goals, including water conservation, soil humus protection, and greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Selection of cultivation tools

Eco-schemes offer an opportunity for increased funding for farmers and serve as an incentive to reconsider current agricultural practices. The proposed changes may result in the allocation of these subsidies and the enhancement of operational efficiency. Analyzing soil samples, which provide critical insights into soil quality, will guide specific cultivation activities. This enables better planning of farm operations, careful organization of expenses, cost reduction, and profit maximization. Water shortages, along with other climate policy factors, necessitate the adoption of economical, simplified cultivation technologies. The choice of post-harvest and pre-sowing machinery and tools is crucial in this context.

Simplified tillage today signifies:
- Minimal interference with the topsoil; cultivate as shallow as possible
- Efficient mixing of crop residues with uniform distribution in the disturbed layer and on the surface
- Reduce evaporation, even if it requires leaving mulch on the surface
- Ensure optimal germination conditions for crop seeds.

The aim of these practices is to replace the traditional plough system of cultivation, which, through significant depth and intensity of loosening, accelerates the process of humus mineralization. The loss of soil organic matter subsequently has a negative impact on soil structure, water capacity, and biological activity. Therefore, recommended cultivation procedures support natural biological processes in the soil. To receive support for utilizing this practice, cultivation procedures are performed without using a plough or turning the soil, and crop residues are left in the field in their entirety.

Rolmako cultivation machines efficiently implement eco-schemes

Ultra-shallow soil cultivation

The new season commences immediately after the harvest. To reduce the use of herbicides, it is essential to begin controlling weeds and self-seeding crops immediately post-harvest, particularly when utilizing simplified technology. We have developed a line of tools for ultra-shallow cultivation to address this need: SpringExpert mulch harrow, SpeedCutter disc harrow, ProCut and TurboCut knife rollers, Matrix rotary harrow, ComboTill cultivator-mulch harrow combination, enabling cost-effective and efficient stubble processing in line with eco-schemes. The minimum working depth, high operational speed (up to 20 km/h), and specially designed working elements result in high efficiency with low fuel consumption. A second pass is advisable when self-seeding and weeds stimulated by the initial pass begin to germinate. Ultra-shallow cultivation also mitigates excessive soil drying, and these procedures can be combined with sowing cover crops. The practice of ultra-shallow cultivation, which involves disturbing and mixing stubble to a depth of up to 5 cm, is gaining traction among farmers due to its effectiveness in stimulating weed and self-seeding growth and its role in reducing water evaporation during summer heat, ensuring moisture retention for subsequent sowing.

Information regarding ultra-shallow tillage

No-plough soil cultivation

No-plough farming is a system that eliminates plowing or deep digging of the soil as a cultivation operation. Instead, the land is only shallowly cultivated to minimize disturbance of soil structure, preserve plant residues on the surface, and improve soil health and structure. Also called reduced tillage, it reduces or eliminates some cultivation operations. No-plough farming involves loosening and mixing the topsoil without turning it over. To support this method, we offer a line of no-plough cultivators (U436), disc harrows (U693, U652, U671), chisel ploughs (U624), and other tools for managing crop residues.

Key elements of no-plough farming:
Preservation of plant residues: Post-harvest, plant residues remain in the field, protecting the soil from erosion, retaining moisture, and improving its structure.
Reduced erosion: No plough minimizes soil erosion by maintaining soil structure and utilizing plant residues to stabilize the surface. The U624 chisel plough loosens deep, compacted soils in a single pass, preparing them for direct seeding. For farmers with lower-horsepower tractors, the U436 multi-function cultivator is an excellent option.
Save time and fuel: minimizing machine passes in the field conserves time and fuel, thereby reducing costs and environmental impact.
Improved soil health: No-plough farming enhances soil health by increasing organic matter and soil microbial activity.
Shallow Tillage: While full tillage is eliminated, shallow tillage remains a viable method for weed control and soil preparation for seeding.
Weed and pest control: No-plough farming may necessitate alternative methods for managing weeds, pests, and diseases, such as herbicides or mechanical weed removal.

The primary advantage to consider is the increase in porosity and improvement in soil structure. This is particularly crucial during periods of declining average rainfall in the growing season, as enhanced porosity and structure directly affect water retention and elevate organic matter content in the soil's top layer. In the absence of soil inversion in the no-plough system, there is no drying and weathering of the soil. Consequently, improved groundwater infiltration to the top layers of the soil is observed. Additionally, crop residues left on the soil surface are partially mixed, with the remaining portion forming a protective layer, thereby reducing water evaporation from the soil.

Further information on no-plough soil cultivation

The most popular eco-scheme is "Carbon Farming"

It is an agricultural practice that aids in carbon sequestration, or the binding of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the soil, thereby reducing the concentration of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Simplifications in farming are necessary and represent a return to the original, less intensive impact on the land. The no-plough soil cultivation system offers numerous financial and organizational benefits.

Here are three key elements and farming practices to sequester carbon:
- Managing crop residue by leaving it in the field and incorporating it into the soil enhances soil organic matter and sequesters carbon
- No-plough and minimum tillage practices minimize soil disturbance, thereby preserving soil organic carbon
- Proper crop rotation, crop diversity, and rotation throughout the agricultural cycle improve soil health and carbon sequestration.

More about carbon farming

Can you sow without mulch in a Carbon Farming eco-scheme?

In simplified cultivation systems, sowing should take place in mulch after harvesting the pre-crop. Is it possible to use cultivation machines other than a plow to prepare the pre-sowing cultivation so that there is no mulch, and sow in such soil? And will it be recognized by EFRROW as no-plough cultivation? There are no contraindications to using this method of preparing plants for sowing. However, this decision will be associated with limited access to a seeder sowing in mulch or other equipment available on the farm, as the mulch must either be crumbled thoroughly or sown with a disc seeder to place the seeds in the soil. Rolmako offers a wide range of cultivation machines for preparing the soil for sowing, including cultivation and cultivation-sowing units and various other combinations of pre-sowing tools.

Implementing no-plough practices may necessitate varying inputs for agricultural equipment and approaches, contingent on local conditions and the type of agricultural production. Adapting agricultural practices to local conditions and managing natural resources sustainably using tillage machinery is crucial: primarily chisel plows, subsoilers, disc harrows, no-plough cultivators, mulch harrows, and other machines that do not invert or dry out the soil to minimize disruption of its structure.

More about carbon farming

Sowing cover crops within eco-schemes

The introduction of catch crops under eco-schemes refers to agricultural practices that promote sustainable production and better environmental protection. Catch crops, grown between two main growing seasons, aim to improve soil quality, reduce erosion, promote biodiversity, and prevent excessive weed growth. Sowing winter catch crops is a popular option under the eco-scheme: carbon farming. The guidelines for the eco-scheme stipulate that the winter catch crop mixture must consist of two species from the following groups: cereals, oilseeds, fodder, small-seeded legumes, large-seeded legumes, and melliferous plants. Catch crops enhance soil structure, increasing porosity and water retention capacity. The roots of catch crops penetrate the soil, facilitating access to oxygen and water for subsequent crops. Cover crops shield against water and wind erosion, protecting the soil from washing out and drying out. Growing different types of cover crops attracts diverse soil organisms, thereby increasing biodiversity. Cover crops compete with weeds for light, water, and nutrients, limiting weed growth. After cover crops are cut and ploughed, their residues add organic matter to the soil. By increasing organic matter levels, cover crops help sequester carbon, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Using cover crops in eco-schemes is beneficial for the environment and can also bring economic benefits to farmers. Consequently, many countries encourage this practice as part of their agricultural strategies.

Summary of cultivation simplifications implemented in eco-schemes

The requirement for the practice of simplified cultivation systems within eco-schemes is to cultivate plants on arable land using conservation no-plough or strip cultivation by: performing cultivation procedures that depart from the plough system in post-harvest and pre-sowing tillage or leaving all post-harvest residues in the field as mulch. Beyond the financial benefits (higher farm revenues from subsidies), following the "eco-schemes" concept can enhance the condition of our land, potentially improving the farmer's economic outcome. In conclusion, eco-schemes warrant consideration by every conscientious farmer. Even if the proposed activities seem progressive now, it is essential to recognize that global advancements include changes in agriculture, which will inevitably need to be adopted. Implementing these changes sooner and leveraging available subsidies is advisable. Rolmako machines, used in alignment with the Common Agricultural Policy, will enable high, stable, and high-quality yields, thereby enhancing the economic efficiency of our customers' farms.