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Sustainable Agriculture: Definition and its Impact on Agricultural Production Profitability
Balance is essential for the proper functioning of virtually all organisms, processes, and systems. The same applies to agriculture, leading to increased discussions about sustainable plant production, breeding, and agriculture overall. What is sustainable agriculture? How does it impact farm profitability? How can this production system be implemented with Rolmako machines?
What is sustainable agriculture?
Agricultural practices range from organic farming to conventional farming. Sustainable agriculture balances organic farming's reliance on natural means and traditional farming's profit-driven focus. The European Union envisions this approach for the future of agriculture, as indicated by the Common Agricultural Policy, the European Green Deal, eco-schemes, the "Farm to Fork" strategy, and the biodiversity strategy.
Sustainable agriculture must meet three goals:
- Economic: profitability of agricultural production
- Environmental: minimizing harm to the natural environment and climate by cultivating crops in a manner that reduces negative impacts on nature and potentially exerts a positive influence
- Social: widespread acceptance of agricultural practices.
Why is sustainable agriculture the direction of Rolmako?
Rolmako, a company operating since 1982, has witnessed significant changes both in agriculture and in societal awareness. Over the past 40 years, substantial technological advancements are evident in the company's machinery and production processes. However, aggressive conventional farming—with plowing, powerful tractors, and extensive use of plant protection products—has severely exploited the land. Consequently, the soil in many parts of Europe and Poland has become incapable of producing high-quality crops; it has become sterile, devoid of fertile arable soil and biological life, either dried out or flooded. In other words, it is almost dead and certainly very sick.
If we regard the soil as a living organism, its condition is not related to balance. This underscores the necessity of sustainable farming practices—no-plough, ultra-shallow, and simplified cultivation. All Rolmako tools available for sale enable farmers to cultivate the land sustainably and profitably.
What is the impact of sustainable agriculture on production profitability?
The profitability of sustainable agricultural practices is evident primarily through EU funding. By implementing eco-schemes, a farmer can receive several hundred zlotys in subsidies per hectare. Current rates can be checked on the official website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the gov.pl domain.
It is not only EU policy that makes sustainable agriculture profitable. There is also a growing public awareness of the disadvantages of conventional farming (industrial agriculture focused on monocultures) - high emissions, high sensitivity to climatic anomalies and pest attacks, and the harmful impact on the soil's natural resources (humus and microorganisms), which has been mentioned many times. Consumers are looking for sustainable agriculture products, and suppliers want to meet their needs. So if you introduce appropriate practices on your farm, its competitiveness and positive image will improve significantly.
The final, yet equally significant, factor influencing production profitability is soil condition improvement. Fertile soil is essential for achieving high yields. Fields that are too acidic (affecting 64% of Polish soils), too dry, crusty, or flooded will not yield high returns. Nationally, farmer losses due to excessive acidification are estimated at PLN 3.7-6.3 billion, as reported by Małgorzata Bojańczyk from the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food. Nutrient-deficient fields require substantial amounts of fertilizers, adding to costs. Additionally, repeated use of tractors for agrotechnical procedures consumes fuel, machinery, and time.
What sustainable farming practices will you implement with Rolmako?
Ultra-shallow cultivation is a method of soil cultivation to a minimal depth, typically up to 5 cm. This technique preserves soil structure, stimulates biological activity (including earthworms), increases the humus layer, and improves water management. Additionally, it prevents weed and volunteer seeds from being deeply buried, enabling quick germination and rapid elimination.
Rolmako specialists have engineered numerous modern, efficient machines for ultra-shallow cultivation. Notable examples include:
- SpeedCutter harrow (designed for ultra-shallow cultivation)
- SpringExpert mulching harrow
- Matrix rotary hoe
- Combination of a cultivator and mulching harrow a ComboTill
- Various rollers (for breaking clods and leveling the field, Cambridge/ORION finishing roller, double TurboCut knife roller, ProCut knife roller for the front linkage).
No-plough farming. Plowing is actually the most time-consuming and resource-intensive of agrotechnical procedures, which is why more and more farmers are giving it up. No-plough farming is about not turning over the top layer of soil – maintaining its structure, not disturbing earthworms and other microorganisms in their “cultivation”, leaving crop residues on the surface, etc. It is effective in simplified crop rotations with a predominance of cereals or in hilly areas.
Tools for no-plough tillage include: those for ultra-shallow cultivation (mentioned earlier), but also:
- cultivators-grubbers (e.g., U436)
- tillage units (e.g., U382, U684, U445)
- disc harrows (e.g., U645, U622, U693, U652, U671)
- subsoilers U602, U608, U614, U619, U632, U638 and chisel plow U624.
Simplified cultivation. This practice involves combining several separate machines (e.g. cultivator, roller, and drag) into one large tillage unit (typical of Rolmako tools). Another option is to combine a tillage machine, e.g. a cultivator with a fertilizer applicator or a disc harrow with a cover crop seeder. Another simplification involves the use of mounted or trailed machines on the rear axle and mounted on the front three-point linkage of the tractor.
In reduced tillage, units for no-plough and ultra-shallow cultivation can be utilized. The objective is to combine these methods to minimize passes around the field, thereby conserving fuel and time, and reducing equipment wear.
- Economic: profitability of agricultural production
- Environmental: minimizing harm to the natural environment and climate by cultivating crops in a manner that reduces negative impacts on nature and potentially exerts a positive influence
- Social: widespread acceptance of agricultural practices.
Why is sustainable agriculture the direction of Rolmako?
Rolmako, a company operating since 1982, has witnessed significant changes both in agriculture and in societal awareness. Over the past 40 years, substantial technological advancements are evident in the company's machinery and production processes. However, aggressive conventional farming—with plowing, powerful tractors, and extensive use of plant protection products—has severely exploited the land. Consequently, the soil in many parts of Europe and Poland has become incapable of producing high-quality crops; it has become sterile, devoid of fertile arable soil and biological life, either dried out or flooded. In other words, it is almost dead and certainly very sick.
If we regard the soil as a living organism, its condition is not related to balance. This underscores the necessity of sustainable farming practices—no-plough, ultra-shallow, and simplified cultivation. All Rolmako tools available for sale enable farmers to cultivate the land sustainably and profitably.
What is the impact of sustainable agriculture on production profitability?
The profitability of sustainable agricultural practices is evident primarily through EU funding. By implementing eco-schemes, a farmer can receive several hundred zlotys in subsidies per hectare. Current rates can be checked on the official website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the gov.pl domain.
It is not only EU policy that makes sustainable agriculture profitable. There is also a growing public awareness of the disadvantages of conventional farming (industrial agriculture focused on monocultures) - high emissions, high sensitivity to climatic anomalies and pest attacks, and the harmful impact on the soil's natural resources (humus and microorganisms), which has been mentioned many times. Consumers are looking for sustainable agriculture products, and suppliers want to meet their needs. So if you introduce appropriate practices on your farm, its competitiveness and positive image will improve significantly.
The final, yet equally significant, factor influencing production profitability is soil condition improvement. Fertile soil is essential for achieving high yields. Fields that are too acidic (affecting 64% of Polish soils), too dry, crusty, or flooded will not yield high returns. Nationally, farmer losses due to excessive acidification are estimated at PLN 3.7-6.3 billion, as reported by Małgorzata Bojańczyk from the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food. Nutrient-deficient fields require substantial amounts of fertilizers, adding to costs. Additionally, repeated use of tractors for agrotechnical procedures consumes fuel, machinery, and time.
What sustainable farming practices will you implement with Rolmako?
Ultra-shallow cultivation is a method of soil cultivation to a minimal depth, typically up to 5 cm. This technique preserves soil structure, stimulates biological activity (including earthworms), increases the humus layer, and improves water management. Additionally, it prevents weed and volunteer seeds from being deeply buried, enabling quick germination and rapid elimination.
Rolmako specialists have engineered numerous modern, efficient machines for ultra-shallow cultivation. Notable examples include:
- SpeedCutter harrow (designed for ultra-shallow cultivation)
- SpringExpert mulching harrow
- Matrix rotary hoe
- Combination of a cultivator and mulching harrow a ComboTill
- Various rollers (for breaking clods and leveling the field, Cambridge/ORION finishing roller, double TurboCut knife roller, ProCut knife roller for the front linkage).
No-plough farming. Plowing is actually the most time-consuming and resource-intensive of agrotechnical procedures, which is why more and more farmers are giving it up. No-plough farming is about not turning over the top layer of soil – maintaining its structure, not disturbing earthworms and other microorganisms in their “cultivation”, leaving crop residues on the surface, etc. It is effective in simplified crop rotations with a predominance of cereals or in hilly areas.
Tools for no-plough tillage include: those for ultra-shallow cultivation (mentioned earlier), but also:
- cultivators-grubbers (e.g., U436)
- tillage units (e.g., U382, U684, U445)
- disc harrows (e.g., U645, U622, U693, U652, U671)
- subsoilers U602, U608, U614, U619, U632, U638 and chisel plow U624.
Simplified cultivation. This practice involves combining several separate machines (e.g. cultivator, roller, and drag) into one large tillage unit (typical of Rolmako tools). Another option is to combine a tillage machine, e.g. a cultivator with a fertilizer applicator or a disc harrow with a cover crop seeder. Another simplification involves the use of mounted or trailed machines on the rear axle and mounted on the front three-point linkage of the tractor.
In reduced tillage, units for no-plough and ultra-shallow cultivation can be utilized. The objective is to combine these methods to minimize passes around the field, thereby conserving fuel and time, and reducing equipment wear.
What is the impact of sustainable agriculture on production profitability?
The profitability of sustainable agricultural practices is evident primarily through EU funding. By implementing eco-schemes, a farmer can receive several hundred zlotys in subsidies per hectare. Current rates can be checked on the official website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the gov.pl domain.
It is not only EU policy that makes sustainable agriculture profitable. There is also a growing public awareness of the disadvantages of conventional farming (industrial agriculture focused on monocultures) - high emissions, high sensitivity to climatic anomalies and pest attacks, and the harmful impact on the soil's natural resources (humus and microorganisms), which has been mentioned many times. Consumers are looking for sustainable agriculture products, and suppliers want to meet their needs. So if you introduce appropriate practices on your farm, its competitiveness and positive image will improve significantly.
The final, yet equally significant, factor influencing production profitability is soil condition improvement. Fertile soil is essential for achieving high yields. Fields that are too acidic (affecting 64% of Polish soils), too dry, crusty, or flooded will not yield high returns. Nationally, farmer losses due to excessive acidification are estimated at PLN 3.7-6.3 billion, as reported by Małgorzata Bojańczyk from the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food. Nutrient-deficient fields require substantial amounts of fertilizers, adding to costs. Additionally, repeated use of tractors for agrotechnical procedures consumes fuel, machinery, and time.
What sustainable farming practices will you implement with Rolmako?
Ultra-shallow cultivation is a method of soil cultivation to a minimal depth, typically up to 5 cm. This technique preserves soil structure, stimulates biological activity (including earthworms), increases the humus layer, and improves water management. Additionally, it prevents weed and volunteer seeds from being deeply buried, enabling quick germination and rapid elimination.
Rolmako specialists have engineered numerous modern, efficient machines for ultra-shallow cultivation. Notable examples include:
- SpeedCutter harrow (designed for ultra-shallow cultivation)
- SpringExpert mulching harrow
- Matrix rotary hoe
- Combination of a cultivator and mulching harrow a ComboTill
- Various rollers (for breaking clods and leveling the field, Cambridge/ORION finishing roller, double TurboCut knife roller, ProCut knife roller for the front linkage).
No-plough farming. Plowing is actually the most time-consuming and resource-intensive of agrotechnical procedures, which is why more and more farmers are giving it up. No-plough farming is about not turning over the top layer of soil – maintaining its structure, not disturbing earthworms and other microorganisms in their “cultivation”, leaving crop residues on the surface, etc. It is effective in simplified crop rotations with a predominance of cereals or in hilly areas.
Tools for no-plough tillage include: those for ultra-shallow cultivation (mentioned earlier), but also:
- cultivators-grubbers (e.g., U436)
- tillage units (e.g., U382, U684, U445)
- disc harrows (e.g., U645, U622, U693, U652, U671)
- subsoilers U602, U608, U614, U619, U632, U638 and chisel plow U624.
Simplified cultivation. This practice involves combining several separate machines (e.g. cultivator, roller, and drag) into one large tillage unit (typical of Rolmako tools). Another option is to combine a tillage machine, e.g. a cultivator with a fertilizer applicator or a disc harrow with a cover crop seeder. Another simplification involves the use of mounted or trailed machines on the rear axle and mounted on the front three-point linkage of the tractor.
In reduced tillage, units for no-plough and ultra-shallow cultivation can be utilized. The objective is to combine these methods to minimize passes around the field, thereby conserving fuel and time, and reducing equipment wear.
What sustainable farming practices will you implement with Rolmako?
Ultra-shallow cultivation is a method of soil cultivation to a minimal depth, typically up to 5 cm. This technique preserves soil structure, stimulates biological activity (including earthworms), increases the humus layer, and improves water management. Additionally, it prevents weed and volunteer seeds from being deeply buried, enabling quick germination and rapid elimination.
Rolmako specialists have engineered numerous modern, efficient machines for ultra-shallow cultivation. Notable examples include:
- SpeedCutter harrow (designed for ultra-shallow cultivation)
- SpringExpert mulching harrow
- Matrix rotary hoe
- Combination of a cultivator and mulching harrow a ComboTill
- Various rollers (for breaking clods and leveling the field, Cambridge/ORION finishing roller, double TurboCut knife roller, ProCut knife roller for the front linkage).
No-plough farming. Plowing is actually the most time-consuming and resource-intensive of agrotechnical procedures, which is why more and more farmers are giving it up. No-plough farming is about not turning over the top layer of soil – maintaining its structure, not disturbing earthworms and other microorganisms in their “cultivation”, leaving crop residues on the surface, etc. It is effective in simplified crop rotations with a predominance of cereals or in hilly areas.
Tools for no-plough tillage include: those for ultra-shallow cultivation (mentioned earlier), but also:
- cultivators-grubbers (e.g., U436)
- tillage units (e.g., U382, U684, U445)
- disc harrows (e.g., U645, U622, U693, U652, U671)
- subsoilers U602, U608, U614, U619, U632, U638 and chisel plow U624.
Simplified cultivation. This practice involves combining several separate machines (e.g. cultivator, roller, and drag) into one large tillage unit (typical of Rolmako tools). Another option is to combine a tillage machine, e.g. a cultivator with a fertilizer applicator or a disc harrow with a cover crop seeder. Another simplification involves the use of mounted or trailed machines on the rear axle and mounted on the front three-point linkage of the tractor.
In reduced tillage, units for no-plough and ultra-shallow cultivation can be utilized. The objective is to combine these methods to minimize passes around the field, thereby conserving fuel and time, and reducing equipment wear.
- SpeedCutter harrow (designed for ultra-shallow cultivation)
- SpringExpert mulching harrow
- Matrix rotary hoe
- Combination of a cultivator and mulching harrow a ComboTill
- Various rollers (for breaking clods and leveling the field, Cambridge/ORION finishing roller, double TurboCut knife roller, ProCut knife roller for the front linkage).
No-plough farming. Plowing is actually the most time-consuming and resource-intensive of agrotechnical procedures, which is why more and more farmers are giving it up. No-plough farming is about not turning over the top layer of soil – maintaining its structure, not disturbing earthworms and other microorganisms in their “cultivation”, leaving crop residues on the surface, etc. It is effective in simplified crop rotations with a predominance of cereals or in hilly areas.
Tools for no-plough tillage include: those for ultra-shallow cultivation (mentioned earlier), but also:
- cultivators-grubbers (e.g., U436)
- tillage units (e.g., U382, U684, U445)
- disc harrows (e.g., U645, U622, U693, U652, U671)
- subsoilers U602, U608, U614, U619, U632, U638 and chisel plow U624.
Simplified cultivation. This practice involves combining several separate machines (e.g. cultivator, roller, and drag) into one large tillage unit (typical of Rolmako tools). Another option is to combine a tillage machine, e.g. a cultivator with a fertilizer applicator or a disc harrow with a cover crop seeder. Another simplification involves the use of mounted or trailed machines on the rear axle and mounted on the front three-point linkage of the tractor.
In reduced tillage, units for no-plough and ultra-shallow cultivation can be utilized. The objective is to combine these methods to minimize passes around the field, thereby conserving fuel and time, and reducing equipment wear.
- cultivators-grubbers (e.g., U436)
- tillage units (e.g., U382, U684, U445)
- disc harrows (e.g., U645, U622, U693, U652, U671)
- subsoilers U602, U608, U614, U619, U632, U638 and chisel plow U624.
Simplified cultivation. This practice involves combining several separate machines (e.g. cultivator, roller, and drag) into one large tillage unit (typical of Rolmako tools). Another option is to combine a tillage machine, e.g. a cultivator with a fertilizer applicator or a disc harrow with a cover crop seeder. Another simplification involves the use of mounted or trailed machines on the rear axle and mounted on the front three-point linkage of the tractor.
In reduced tillage, units for no-plough and ultra-shallow cultivation can be utilized. The objective is to combine these methods to minimize passes around the field, thereby conserving fuel and time, and reducing equipment wear.
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