Story: Arable farming
After a crop has been headed by a combine harvester, the straw is left in rows. Stubble, the short stems left uncut, also remains. Some farmers bale the straw to remove it from the paddock and plough in the stubble. Others burn the field after the harvest to clear off both the straw and stubble. This paddock is being burned off. The edge of the paddock has been ploughed so the fire cannot spread to the surrounding countryside. Stubble burning has been a standard practice, however it is now considered environmentally unacceptable and farmers are asked to cultivate the stubble in and let it decompose in the soil. Some farmers say that this is slow and uses valuable soil nitrogen in the process.
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Natural Sciences Image Library of New Zealand
Reference: Ag0248LU.tif
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