Running equipment on the same tracks all the time is the essence of controlled traffic farming — and while the practice only has a few adherents in Alberta, they are passionate about its benefits.

Controlled traffic farming is proving its worth, say advocates

The system ‘shines’ during droughts and lets farmers seed and harvest sooner when it’s wet, they say

Reading Time: 4 minutes Controlled traffic farming has yet to catch on in a big way in Alberta, but it proved its worth during last year’s drought for a long-time practitioner. “I grew canola and barley last year and we had 28-bushel canola on four and a half inches of rain and five weeks of smoking hot weather,” said […] Read more

Controlled traffic farming has seen the biggest uptake in Australia but is being tried in many countries, including this field in the Czech Republic photographed in 2015.

The next big thing? Pioneers of CTF have high hopes

Controlled traffic farming may be the biggest advance since no till, 
but even its fans don’t expect it to be an overnight success

Reading Time: 5 minutes Controlled traffic farming has many benefits, but it still hasn’t caught on big in Alberta. There are only a handful of farmers in the province who have adopted the practice and a recent conference drew just over 50 people — even though CTF, as it’s commonly called, is hailed by some as the biggest advance […] Read more


Besides reducing soil compaction, CTF can help improve fuel efficiency and lessen soil degradation.

Controlled traffic farming can have a positive impact on soils

The practice of always running equipment on the same ‘tramlines’ is rare in Alberta, 
but study says it pays major dividends


Reading Time: 2 minutes Controlled traffic farming does improve soil, says a University of Alberta soil researcher who did his master’s thesis on the practice. “In our area of the North American Great Plains, we have areas that are experiencing soil degradation and it is being propagated further as production systems are intensifying,” said Kris Guenette at the recent […] Read more

Controlled traffic farming system can improve soil moisture levels

Controlled traffic farming system can improve soil moisture levels

Once it’s in, a controlled traffic farming system can save time and money, improve yields, and reduce soil compaction

Reading Time: 2 minutes In dry years, every little bit of water in the soil helps — and that’s tough to find in heavily compacted soils. That’s where controlled traffic farming comes in. “The idea was to address the detrimental effects of compaction. We know our equipment keeps getting heavier and heavier, and we know we cover a fair […] Read more


Farming on tramlines topic at Tactical Farming conference

Reading Time: < 1 minute Also on the agenda at the Tactical Farming conference is a presentation on controlled traffic farming by Peter Gamache. Gamache is the project leader for Controlled Traffic Farming Alberta, which was set up in 2010 to assess if the practice of running all field equipment on the same tracks (called tramlines) — which is used […] Read more