Controlled Traffic Farming Network

The Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) Network is a subscription club, managed by NIAB, providing:

  • practical and independent information relevant to CTF
  • networking opportunities for new and established practitioners
  • visits and events on farms running or implementing CTF systems

Join today for only £90/year

CTF is a field machinery management system using high-level satellite guidance technology, coupled with autosteer, to confine all vehicles to the least possible area. This creates permanent traffic lanes.

Tracked areas, in CTF systems, are just 15-25%  compared with existing randomly trafficked systems of 45-85% of fields each season. CTF typically reduces energy and fuel for crop establishment by 35%, as well as markedly improving soil structure in the non-trafficked areas.

In practice, CTF involves matching up machinery widths and aligning, as closely as practicable, the track gauges of the running gear on all vehicles.

A transition to CTF would be carried out alongside the farm’s machinery replacement policy, and can lead to a substantial reduction in capital investment and operating costs.

CTF Membership benefits include:

  • Reports of CTF events
  • Summaries of new relevant research outputs
  • Farm case studies describing pathways to CTF
  • Links to relevant information/video etc held by others
  • Introductory materials on satellite guidance and autosteer
  • Guidelines on the introduction and maintenance of CTF systems
  • Register of consultants/experts willing to talk through their CTF experience
  • Invites to regional on-farm events