Editor’s note: We occasionally feature articles from Direct Driller, a conservation farming magazine based in England, to share stories of no-tillers making the system work across the pond.

Writing this article, while the season is coming to a close in the middle of a heatwave, is the perfect opportunity to reflect on yet another exciting year of arable farming.

I’m usually idealistic on which directions to take my farm and arable clients, always striving towards ambitious goals. But with each new season of arable cropping I experience, I seem to get more settled with the philosophy that farming is a journey toward an always-evolving target. 

It’s better to get used to the fact that no perfect season exists, no perfect crop can ever be harvested and there’s no perfect cropping system. Instead, it’s one big mess of trade-offs between the plan and reality. Then repeat.

Yet the 2025 season is one to remember. I’ve taken over the family farm with full ownership — 620 acres of prime arable cropland (among the top third of soil quality in Denmark), almost all of it is combinable. 

I feel so thankful for the support I’ve received…