Farmer Tõnis

22/10/2025

Temperatures are above freezing so time to
1. Get water
2. Make sure that sprayer is working correctly
3. (Fix things along the way 😅)
4. Spray the field
5. Optional is to do some trials yourself!

22/10/2025

🚜 This photo has really stirred up my followers! With or without seed dressing?

Here’s a picture of my field, sown with who-knows-which-generation winter wheat “Olivin” on September 30th. It just so happened that although 90% of the field was sown with treated seed, a few rounds were done with untreated seed.

Honestly, I have NEVER seen such a big difference before — and I’ve sown treated and untreated seed side by side in previous years too. 👀

To make sure it’s not just some “quirk” of my field — a good friend of mine, with a different variety, lower-generation seed, and different cultivation method (ploughing), is seeing the same visible difference between treated and untreated seed. Naturally, in favor of the treated one. 🌾

✅ The seed came from the same source, same batch, and no micronutrients were added.

I can only speculate that such a clear difference is the result of our “wonderful” autumn — several frosts and wet soil.
Or maybe… some higher powers are at play here 😄

21/10/2025

⏰How my typical day looks like
Working here and there
Shuffling things around
Something breaking

20/10/2025

Soil isn’t just a tool - it’s a partner.

In the beginning, I only saw soil as a place to plant seeds and get a harvest. But I’ve learned that everything starts there.
Healthy soil means a more stable yield, even when the weather isn’t on your side.

Less ploughing, smarter fertilizing, spraying only when needed, and growing cover crops.
Every year I learn something new - and every season the soil teaches me a bit more. 🌱

MullaAkadeemia kuues ja viimane osa viib vaataja põllule koos Tõnis Soopaluga – põllumehega, kelle teekond on ehe näide sellest, kuidas mõtteviis mulla suhtes võib aja jooksul muutuda.

20/10/2025

Compaction has become an increasing problem on our fields. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to test out an Evers Agro subsoiler, with Thijs from their factory giving me tips and tricks on how to use it.

Compaction has become an increasing problem on our fields. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to test out an subsoiler, with Thijs Jacobsen from t...

19/10/2025

Look at all those nice photos by .photo that we took to promote our honey project!

We were expecting hundreds of jars, but in the end, the weather gave us just one... 😅

At least the photos look great!

We will try better next year 💪

19/10/2025

🐝 This summer I planned to produce honey from a 3.5 ha bee forage area, with fully verified and traceable origin. Everything was set up — but the weather didn’t cooperate.

Estonia had an unusually cold and rainy summer.
The bees couldn’t collect enough nectar, and the beekeeper had to feed them to keep the colonies alive.

In the end, my whole project resulted in just one jar of honey. Disappointing, but that’s part of working with nature. We’ll try again next year — hopefully with better weather and more buzzing activity in the field. 🌼🍯

29/09/2025

Third video from Maaelu Teadmuskeskus Soil Academy is live
Meelis Värnik from Põllumeeste ühistu KEVILI explores different soil cultivation methods and when each approach is the right choice.
PS! You can see few seconds of me working with my stubble cultivator :D

Every field is unique and needs a strategy that supports long-term soil health.

Ploughing - Deep-rooted crops like rapeseed or legumes need loosened soil to grow strong roots, bring up water, and access nutrients. Ploughing also helps when there’s excess straw, wheel tracks, or stubborn grassy weeds.

Reduced tillage - has been popular in recent decades. It helps maintain soil structure and saves energy, but may not suit heavy soils where compaction can form. Often, it needs to be combined with other methods.

Direct drilling - best suited for lighter and medium soils where aeration and water regime is good

Strip-till - cultivates only the seed row, leaving the rest untouched, preserving natural soil structure.

Deep loosening - sometimes necessary to break compacted layers, though slow and costly. Better to prevent compaction with smart crop rotation and field management.

👉 In the end, there’s no single answer. The right choice depends on your soil, your fields, and your long-term goals. Healthy soil today means fertile soil tomorrow.

Teadmised mullast kasvatavad tulevikku! MullaAkadeemia sündis Maaelu Teadmuskeskuse eestvedamisel, videote valmimist toetati teaduse populariseerimise riikli...

22/09/2025

Big thanks to Väderstad EE for helping me out with planting my big winter wheat trial field.
17 different varieties went straight into oat stubble and despite suboptimal conditions I think it made a nice job considering how much rain we have had! Now we will be waiting the results

17/09/2025

I was given Unia Buzzard 9,0 to test it on my field by Agri Partner
We had serious talk and we had fun, check it out!
Video is in 🇪🇪 but with 🇬🇧 subtitles :)

Farmer Tõnis takes the Unia Buzzard 9.0 straw harrow to the field for a real test. See how it handles tough oat stubble, spreads residue, and prepares the so...