Controlled traffic farming: A new track for soil and weed control in organic farming (OK-Net Arable Practice abstract)

The soil between the tracks remains undisturbed. Its structure is crumbly and thus optimal for plant growth. Practical information • Controlled traffic farming is a system approach that has an effect on the entire farm. Good preparation is necessary, e.g., by getting informed from colleagues who already use CTF. • Depending on the farm and the available mechanization (esp. working width), there are several ways to work with tramlines. Examples are bed-cultivation with a 1.5 to 3.2 m track width or a default track-width (often 1.5 m) with standardized, often wide machines (3 to 9 m in width). • Use standard equipment and standard working widths that are used on your own and on neighbouring operations (e.g. farmer-colleagues, agricultural contractors) as much as possible. Also, bear future developments of your own operation in mind. • Provide tramlines that are 10 to 20 cm wider to minimize the impact on the crop. Light equipment is still required. • Ensure proper preparation in the field: How do you configure the parcels? Which driving direction will you use? Which side of the parcel will you choose as a reference? Choose AB lines with correct distances to the parcel border. • It also provides new possibilities for diversity in the plot e.g., strip cultivation/flowers strip that result in more resilient farming systems.