Tram lines - Ask Extension
I would like to know why tram lines aren’t used in the Willamette valley.
Is it difference in soil needs, cost prohibiting to have the gps on a ...
Knowledgebase
Tram lines #868005
Asked May 11, 2024, 1:24 PM EDT
I would like to know why tram lines aren’t used in the Willamette valley.
Is it difference in soil needs, cost prohibiting to have the gps on a seed drill, or simply the US farmers don’t like to see “skips”?
Polk County Oregon
Expert Response
In general, farmers have limited resources (time and money) to invest in improving their farming methods. They are unlikely to invest time and money in a new practice unless they are convinced that that investment will pay off. At any time there are multiple new technologies or improved practices that a farm could adopt, and they likely do not have the time or money to do everything.
This practice is also called controlled traffic farming. It requires farms to restrict equipment traffic to a limited number of pathways, or "tram lines," through a field, so that the majority of the soil is not compacted by tractor tires. While this is e a simple idea, it can be fairly costly and complicated to implement. All equipment needs to have matching tire track widths, and the area covered by each piece of equipment needs to be a multiple of the narrowest piece of equipment. For example, a Willamette Valley grass seed grower might have harvest equipment that is 16 ft wide, a sprayer with a 90 ft wide boom, and a fertilizer spreader that covers 50 ft, plus tillage and planting equipment at other widths. Many farms would need a 5-10 year equipment upgrade plan to get equipment with compatible widths. This can be difficult if equipment dealers are not building equipment with tramlining in mind. Additionally, it is common for farms to contract out certain farming operations, such as bailing straw after harvest, and ensuring the contractor has compatibly sized equipment and uses the tramlines requires additional coordination.
Studies have shown the yield benefits of tramlining in a variety of crops and locations, but to the best of my knowledge, this practice has not been tested in the Willamette Valley. Our cropping system is fairly unique, so something that works in other cropping systems is not guaranteed to work here. Growers want local data that shows a yield benefit that is worth the investment, and that data is not available here.
Most larger farms are using GPS on their equipment in the Willamette Valley. While they are not using tramlining for all equipment, sprayer passes often follow the same tracks using GPS guidance.
This practice is also called controlled traffic farming. It requires farms to restrict equipment traffic to a limited number of pathways, or "tram lines," through a field, so that the majority of the soil is not compacted by tractor tires. While this is e a simple idea, it can be fairly costly and complicated to implement. All equipment needs to have matching tire track widths, and the area covered by each piece of equipment needs to be a multiple of the narrowest piece of equipment. For example, a Willamette Valley grass seed grower might have harvest equipment that is 16 ft wide, a sprayer with a 90 ft wide boom, and a fertilizer spreader that covers 50 ft, plus tillage and planting equipment at other widths. Many farms would need a 5-10 year equipment upgrade plan to get equipment with compatible widths. This can be difficult if equipment dealers are not building equipment with tramlining in mind. Additionally, it is common for farms to contract out certain farming operations, such as bailing straw after harvest, and ensuring the contractor has compatibly sized equipment and uses the tramlines requires additional coordination.
Studies have shown the yield benefits of tramlining in a variety of crops and locations, but to the best of my knowledge, this practice has not been tested in the Willamette Valley. Our cropping system is fairly unique, so something that works in other cropping systems is not guaranteed to work here. Growers want local data that shows a yield benefit that is worth the investment, and that data is not available here.
Most larger farms are using GPS on their equipment in the Willamette Valley. While they are not using tramlining for all equipment, sprayer passes often follow the same tracks using GPS guidance.
