Michelin provides sustainability and soil protection for Tathwell Farms

Lincolnshire-based Tathwell Farms has taken delivery of a New Holland T7.270 tractor and a Horsch Avatar 6.16 drill, both fitted with Michelin’s latest generation agricultural tyres, as part of an ongoing strategy to protect its soil and boost the sustainability of its operation.

Supplied by local dealer Lincolnshire Motors, the T7.270 will be the farm’s new frontline tractor and has been specified with Michelin AxioBib 2 VF 600/60 R30 & VF 710/60 R42 tyres. The Horsch drill has been converted onto Michelin TrailXBib VF 710/50 R26.5 fitments, following a recommendation from Michelin agricultural account manager, Ian Whitwell.

Chris Done, managing director of Tathwell Farms, says: “Our Agronomist Niall Atkinson works with Agrovista, and our journey down the regenerative route was instigated following a visit to their ‘Project Lamport’ trial site. Having witnessed the great research work being done with regard to soil health, cultivations, grassweed control and bioscience, both Niall and I felt that these were all areas that we should be focusing on more to improve overall farm performance.

“One of the biggest things we have been trying to do is get the tyres on our machinery working at lower pressures to damage the soil less. It’s one of the strategies we are working towards, along with controlled traffic, and we are already seeing positive results.

“All our machines run on Michelins. Our old frontline tractor was fitted with previous generation XeoBib tyres. These latest VF AxioBib 2s just take us up to the next level, allowing us to run at even lower pressures, and with a larger footprint on the ground. We’ve always had great support from Ian, who sets up all our new machines, ensuring we are getting the very best out of the tyres and the vehicles themselves.”

Both the Michelin AxioBib 2 and the Michelin TrailXBib fitments benefit from the company’s patented Ultraflex technology – meaning they can carry considerably more weight than standard farm tyres and operate at very low pressures, minimising soil compaction and crop damage in the field. Tyres with Michelin Ultraflex Technology tyres have been scientifically proven to boost farmer’s yields by up to four per cent.

The robust VF (Very High Flexion) casing of the AxioBib 2 and TrailXBib tyres offer superb endurance, longevity and performance, while also giving a 24 per cent larger surface footprint which helps to spread the machine’s weight over a larger surface area for less ground compaction.

“The tractor will be doing all of our cultivation work, which we are trying to cut down on, but we still have some heavier land which we need to pull a deeper working Simba DTX cultivator across,” adds Chris Done. “With the drilling, we are looking for a nice even establishment, and we’re finding that the tyres on the tractors are critical for this. We’ve used the new tractor and drill for some spring drilling already and we are not seeing any wheelings in the emerging crop which is exactly what we hoped for.”

Tathwell Farms produces a wide range of arable crop across 1,400 acres of land on two sites in Lincolnshire.