Farmers today face some of the toughest problems in business:  Increasingly variable weather patterns, erratic economic conditions and diminished yields are constant threats to agricultural systems.  

There is hope however: Population growth and increased wealth is driving food demand and with that comes a vast, nutrition-savvy middle class.  There are huge opportunities for farmers positioned to take advantage of this.

Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) is a proven cropping system that helps improve yields, efficiency and profitability and aids the implementation of minimum-till practices.  Studies conducted by trusted institutions in Australia and Europe over the past 30 years have conclusively shown significant benefits for many crop types.  

We have talked to farmers who still report continuous soil improvement even after 20+ years of practicing CTF!  Every year it's just a little better. This is long-term thinking.

The central idea to CTF is increasing the quality of your soil by mitigating the detrimental effects of soil compaction and tillage on soil moisture content and root growth - most people understand this.  However, what isn't obvious at first are the knock-on benefits that can hugely improve productivity, especially when combining with minimal tillage.  It can allow farmers to take advantage of marginal weather conditions which occur far more often than ideal conditions do.  Farmers in Australia are now using CTF to successfully farm land that wouldn't even be considered elsewhere in the world.   

The most common feedback we get from CTF farmers is that they are able to get in more 'opportunity crops' while their traditional-farming neighbors are left waiting for optimal weather conditions.  When you look at CTF this way, you see that it isn't only about getting those smaller percentage gains from fuel, water and fertilizer savings - it can completely change an outlook and tip the balance in your favor.  

CTF is no longer the domain of smaller early adopters looking for an edge.  Large-scale commercial farmers are converting all their equipment for efficient cropping because they know that the benefits are more than just soil quality.  C&C Machining and Engineering consult regularly with large and small commercial operators and the positive feedback we have received has been overwhelming. Our Widetract range is designed to help farmers get the most out of their equipment.