Field Enlargement Project Reaches Conclusion

Field Enlargement Project Reaches Conclusion

This has been acheived by infilling dykes and making smaller inefficient fields into more productive and viable areas.

This work is not quite as straightforward as it sounds as clearly ditch systems were originally installed in their locations for a reason – primarily to carry drainage water. So infilling them is all very well, but there is an intrinsic need to manage the operation responsibly by ensuring that all existing land drains are picked up through the installation of new ‘header drains’ – which cut off the existing lateral pipes before they reach the ditch system and re-direct the water to another location. Any other water carried by the ditch system also needs to be managed too. Header drains tend to be large diameter pipes and the schemes need to be carefully considered based on existing field drainage maps and visible evidence of land drainage presence on the ground.

There is also a need to carefully consider the environmental impact of completing this kind of work. Wildlife and plantlife that may be present within a ditch system will need to be looked at and ecological surveys need to be carried out before the work can go ahead. The landowners that have we have been working for are keen to create alternative environments in other parts of their farm to ‘put back’ some environmentally friendly areas amidst the arable fields. This can be achieved through the creation of new wetland areas and other non arable areas such as woodland, set-aside areas and the presence of field margins which are untouched by arable operations.

The reasons for doing the ditch infilling work are compelling:
1. Ditch Infilling is a cheap and efficient way of effectively “buying” more arable area – particularly when considering current land values.
2. Larger fields lead to greater productivity and therefore yields in terms of machinery operation.
3. Larger fields lead to significantly greater efficiency of seed, fertilizer and chemical applications.

Whilst clearly there is a need to look at preserving the way our countryside looks in terms of field boundaries and margins, there are certain circumstances when field enlargement work can be considered a sensible option.

Our teams are able to get involved in both the physical infilling of the ditches using our variety of earthmoving equipment as well as making provision to deal with any drainage implications associated with the works.