Page 37 - GrapevineMarApr 2022

Around The Vineyard

the required operations without multiple passes
over the area, Tillage Management Inc’s Project
Manager Kat Coombes said that they save the vine-
yard owner time and money by increasing efficien-
cy and ultimately spending less time in the fields.

Comprised of working farmers and engineers,
Tillage Management Inc. is a relative newcomer to
the vineyard implement market, offering high qual-
ity, heavy-duty, multi-functional tillage implements
for farms, orchards and vineyards. Their Optimizer
one-pass tillage system combines disc and chopper
blades to clear cover crops, uproot weeds, main-
tain level soil and keep berms clean using one-
pass efficiency. A newer addition to their line-up,
their chisel roller CR-series, works to break up soil
compaction and leave a level working surface in
the vineyard. Their heavy-duty equipment incor-
porates multiple operations in one pass, reducing
labor, time and fuel use. Additionally, reducing the
amount of tillage is key to preventing moisture loss
and topsoil loss from dust. Tillage Management Inc
has earned EPA certification for dust reduction with
their equipment and offers a rental program for
smaller vineyards that don’t need or require full-
time ownership of their implements.

“As working farmers, we know the benefit of
equipment that is operator-friendly and time-sav-
ing,” said Coombes. “Both our Optimizer and CR
series can be adjusted, hooked up and operated by
a single user. We offer minimal adjustment points,
maintenance-free bearings that limit the number of
grease points, and larger than standard disc blades,
28 inches over the standard 22 to 24-inch blade.
In addition to cutting down the number of passes
an operator must perform, the larger disc blades
are an advantage to the steadily growing organic
farming sector. More farmers realize the benefit
of growing cover crops to reduce the amount of
spraying needed for pests. Those pests naturally
get drawn to more and larger cover crops. Then,
those cover crops are incorporated into the soil
easier and more efficiently using our larger disc
blades and one-pass system.”

To get a timely return-on-investment benefit on
Tillage Management’s high-quality, low-mainte-
nance equipment, Coombes recommends its equip-

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