Controlled Traffic

Controlled Traffic (CT) farming system commenced in 2000 with the move to 2cm accuracy GPS hands free steering from Ag Guide.

Controlled traffic confines all wheel traffic and compaction to specific and permanent tracks. For controlled traffic, accurate lanes must be installed. For economic reasons, a central line may be installed by a contractor for the farmer to follow visually. Repeatable 2 cm accuracy GPS auto steer is necessary for installation of accurate lines for controlled traffic. Wimmera Crop Watch provides this service.

Compacted soil does not hold water. There are no pores for air, water and plant roots to access and enable easy movement within the soil profile. Crop is not planted on these tracks. Unsown wheel tracks or a central mark left with the seeder, can maintain these tracks for many years. The tracks become compacted and trafficable most of the time. The balance of the paddock is not compacted and no wheel traffic travels on it. Conventional farming systems have random wheel tracks all over the paddock and thus have compaction randomly spread over the whole area.

On Postlethwaite Farm all machinery has wheel tracks of a fixed width, namely 3 metres. This includes tractors, header, seeder, sprayers, field bins and chaser bin. Controlled Traffic seeding and spraying ensures there are no misses or overlaps.

Benefits of Controlled traffic