Need opinion: No-till and reduced tillage

[George]

I have made many changes since I came home from the Marines in 1971 - - - When I first started we plowed everything all the time and cultivated a couple of times a season.

Over the years we have gradually changed - - - now we no till drill our beans into corn stalks - - - then we run a field cultivator to incorporate fertilizer in bean stubble and plant the corn - - - kind of a minimum tillage.

I feel the yields have increased -- - work load decreased - - - erosion has decreased - - - weeds are all but gone.

Will this work for everyone?? No but it works in central Indiana.

 

[jigs]

we aree putting in another quarter of alfalfa, and considered the roundup ready seed.....then after seeing the extra 140 dollars a bag, we will go with the same old seed we have been using.

ever notice how many govt. employees used to be Monsanto reps or lawyers???

I believe one of the Supreme Court Justices is even a former Monsanto employee.......

so take them to court, push it to the top, and see if you win there !

 

[mn]

Talked to sales rep last night - genaric roundup priced for spring at 10.50/ gallon

 

[mp.freelance]

Thanks for all your responses!

 

[mp.freelance]

No till has definately shown some positive results in many areas, but the chemical use has been a concern.

Round-up just lowered their pre seed price to $2.99 an acre, they are seeing farmers starting to back off the chemicals, it just doesn't pencil.

Most areas see 10-20 years of intense fertilizer/chemical applications then they need more and more and see fewer results.

The best bottom line might be from a less intensive method, less costs less yields but a better return per dollar spent.

Too much tillage breaks up soil structure and can kill some beneficial organisims.

An interesting website to check out as to living soil is soilfoodweb.com they have pictures of hyphae and nemotodes and other important soil "bugs".

I have settled on a minimum tillage, one pass before seeding. Partly because of direct drills being too expensive and partly because grass weeds take hold in many no till systems and need more chemical to control.

Do you use a moldboard plow for your minimum tillage, or an alternative implement? Aside from no-till, I know some folks are using rotary strip tillers to decrease the tillage.

 

[pknoeber]

No till has definately shown some positive results in many areas, but the chemical use has been a concern.

Round-up just lowered their pre seed price to $2.99 an acre, they are seeing farmers starting to back off the chemicals, it just doesn't pencil.

Most areas see 10-20 years of intense fertilizer/chemical applications then they need more and more and see fewer results.

The best bottom line might be from a less intensive method, less costs less yields but a better return per dollar spent.

Too much tillage breaks up soil structure and can kill some beneficial organisims.

An interesting website to check out as to living soil is soilfoodweb.com they have pictures of hyphae and nemotodes and other important soil "bugs".

I have settled on a minimum tillage, one pass before seeding. Partly because of direct drills being too expensive and partly because grass weeds take hold in many no till systems and need more chemical to control.

Do you use a moldboard plow for your minimum tillage, or an alternative implement? Aside from no-till, I know some folks are using rotary strip tillers to decrease the tillage.

A moldboard plow is the most aggressive form of tillage there is. It completely turns the soil over burying 100% of the residue. I'm guessing that he runs a field cultivator over the field which consists of a set of V shaped sweeps (10-30" wide at the back of the V, depending on the type) that has an attachement on the back to level out and firm the soil back up. This operation generally leaves around 80% of the residue on the surface still. The rotary strip tillers you're thinking about are more than likely the rolling basket attachments on the back of the strip till rigs. Most strip till rigs are designed to run a coulter, then a row cleaner, then a mole knife or another coulter for fertilizer placement, then a slot closing device and last a rolling basket. What this accomplishes: 1. It clears a strip of soil (approx 6" wide) to provide quicker soil warm up & drydown in wet climates. This is HUGE when talking about corn growing. Not much advantage for most other crops. If done properly it does provide ideal planting conditions & improves early plant growth/health. 2. It precisely places fertilizer in relation to the seed & plant to increase fertilizer efficiency. 3. It provides a lot of the benefits of tillage in the 6" strip while still retaining a lot of the residue & benefits of no-till on the undisturbed areas. Hope this helps.

Phil

 

[mp.freelance]

Thanks, Phil... I'm no expert on farm implements, so this article has been quite a steep learning curve for me.

 

[Jason]

Phil nailed it.

I have to disturb the shallow rooted grasses and soften the soil enough to get penetration with the hoe drill.

I had a relatively clean field last spring and used spikes on the cultivator. Worked well. I was after saving moisture as it was dry early on, the rains started and never stopped, so most anything would have worked.