The New Zealand designed-and-made Cross Slot will make its South Australian debut on the couple's Wangary farm next season.

Last week more than 20 farmers attended an information session at Wangary where John Baker (see MyTake), owner of Baker No-tillage Ltd, maker of the Cross Slot, spoke about the machine.

He describes it as a no-till combination disc and winged-tyne opener that simultaneously sows seed and fertiliser in any condition (standing stubble to rocky outcrops), allowing for just the one pass.

The cross-shape opener also sows the seed on a horizontal shelf under the ground, with fertiliser placed on a shelf on the opposite side of the slot. Sowing fertiliser on a separate shelf minimises the chances of seed burn.

Sowing seed in horizontal slots ensures seed coverage, guarantees soil-to-seed contact, traps soil humidity in the slot, and returns residues over the slot that further conserves soil moisture where it is needed.

The Siviours moved from Murdinga to Wangary five years ago, when they took the big step of changing from conventional to minimal-till.

This next big step will be just as significant, with the switch from minimal to low-disturbance zero-till with the Cross Slot.

Scott says the main aim in switching to zero-till is to retain as much crop residue as possible to build up soil carbon, with the benefits of moisture retention and soil structure improvement. He feels soil health should also improve through increasing biological activity.

After extensive research into disc machines, Scott has identified the Cross Slot as the best in the field to boost crop yield and sustainability.

He says that while the machine gives some soil disturbance below the seedbed, it has the best stubble-residue handling ability and is the best in maintaining crop establishment.

He was always interested in disk machines, but thought there were too many limitations such as yield-loss in the changeover.

He hopes the Cross Slot will maintain yield in the first year of use and improve yield thereafter as soil health increases.

* Full Cropping report in Stock Journal, October 21 issue.