No need to cultivate stubbles after harvest as rule removed

The stubble cultivation rules are no more. The rules which were part of the nitrates directive were removed for this round of the directive.

As a result, after harvest there is no requirement to cultivate stubbles. You don’t have to think about 10-day or two-week deadlines to cultivate stubbles.

You don’t need to rise dust and wear mettle on hard ground. You can leave a habitat for the birds and avoid unnecessary pressure at an already busy time of the year.

Of course, you should cultivate stubbles where needed. If you are in the Straw Incorporation measure (SIM), then you need to incorporate that straw into the soil as soon as possible after harvest.

You may need to establish stale seedbeds for weed control. Some weeds like more light than others, so some of this ground should only be lightly tickled to establish these weeds.

You will also need to cultivate for cover crop establishment under ACRES, Farming for Water or for your own use.

The stubble cultivation rules frustrated many farmers and caused safety concerns by adding to workload. They also destroyed critical over-winter stubble habitat for endangered birds such as the yellow hammer and skylarks.

It is good to see that after a lot of lobbying from tillage farmers that common sense has prevailed. The increase in cover crop area should also help with water quality and soil improvement.