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No till farming

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Nicky

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A question for those of you who no-till farm...do you use a regular grain drill to drill into last years grain stubble? Thanks in advance :)
 
You need a drill or planter that is set up for no till. A conventional drill will not give you very results. This is what I use.
http://www.deere.com/servlet/ProdCatProduct?tM=FR&pNbr=1590XN
 
We use a bourgault air seeder a 5710 ,with mid row banders to put down NH3, been doing it for 5 years we go right into the stubble, every year we see better and better results.
 
A regular drill usually isn't heavy enough and doesn't have the special "openers" that can break through the stubble and soil like the drills specific for no till.

If you don't want to spend the money for a no till rig, you can use a minimum till practice, and use you usual equipment. There are several practices for minimum till, you would have to figure out what would work best for that.

We have done some minimum till on sub-irrigated ground where we disk light then seed with a regualr drill, then roll it to push the seed and rocks in. I know it's nothing compared to dryland, but sort of a concept to think about.
 
What kind of drill are you talking, Nicky? Best friend has a set of International hoedrills, and he can seed right into the stubble without working it first. All he does is maybe harrow a bit before he does seed.

Us, we use a Flexicoil airdrill. Can go through stubble without much trouble, unless there is alot of stubble! This year, we're harrowing first.
 
I meant to say some of us. I've heard rumblings from 2 different people that they heard rumors of $7-8 corn in the next year. God help the rancher if that's the case. Who could afford to feed it?
 
I hear you Soapweed. Kind of makes you wonder if there is a good time to calve. I have been thinking of that for the last couple of days. I have a good friend over by White River that is just starting I suppose. Hope he's getting by OK. Mother Nature is always in charge isn't she.
 
Margaret MacKickan took a good picture of Dad riding his paint horse on a snowy May day, I think in 1979. We either got 19 inches of snow on the 9th of May that year, or 9 inches of snow on the 19th of May, I can't remember which. All I know is that it was a pretty impressive amount of snow that late in the season.

Even in fall calving, one year back about 1987, I got a calf on the 12th of October. It got down to 12 below zero that night, which ended up being the coldest night of that whole year. Needless to say, the calf had to be brought in to be warmed up, and he spent the night on our "mudroom" floor.

I don't think there is a good time to calve. :? :(
 
oh my...last fall we diidnt have a hard frost until about the last couple days in october...i think up to that point the coldest it got was about 33
 
Big Swede said:
I meant to say some of us. I've heard rumblings from 2 different people that they heard rumors of $7-8 corn in the next year. God help the rancher if that's the case. Who could afford to feed it?

I just got home with my new to me corn planter it's a 12 row IH 800.I figure I may need alot of silage this fall if calves are priced at a loss.Were going to plant 110 to 150 acres to chop.

The next thing everyone will start trying is grass finishing,that sounds fine but where is the extra grass going to come from pasture is already a hot commodity I would'nt bet on that market be very viable.
 
Denny said:
Big Swede said:
I meant to say some of us. I've heard rumblings from 2 different people that they heard rumors of $7-8 corn in the next year. God help the rancher if that's the case. Who could afford to feed it?

I just got home with my new to me corn planter it's a 12 row IH 800.I figure I may need alot of silage this fall if calves are priced at a loss.Were going to plant 110 to 150 acres to chop.

The next thing everyone will start trying is grass finishing,that sounds fine but where is the extra grass going to come from pasture is already a hot commodity I would'nt bet on that market be very viable.

Still got the old 4 row? I sho could be using it about now.

This 2 row sucks. :lol:

How ya gonna store that chopped corn?
 
Big Swede said:
I meant to say some of us. I've heard rumblings from 2 different people that they heard rumors of $7-8 corn in the next year. God help the rancher if that's the case. Who could afford to feed it?


Not much better for the guys raising the corn. DAP (18-46-0) was at $1000 a ton 2 weeks ago :shock: add $900 amonia and $250 per acre cash rent they are not getting rich. I have a good friend going all beans this year because of the cost to put in a corn crop!
 
Mike said:
Denny said:
Big Swede said:
I meant to say some of us. I've heard rumblings from 2 different people that they heard rumors of $7-8 corn in the next year. God help the rancher if that's the case. Who could afford to feed it?

I just got home with my new to me corn planter it's a 12 row IH 800.I figure I may need alot of silage this fall if calves are priced at a loss.Were going to plant 110 to 150 acres to chop.

The next thing everyone will start trying is grass finishing,that sounds fine but where is the extra grass going to come from pasture is already a hot commodity I would'nt bet on that market be very viable.

Still got the old 4 row? I sho could be using it about now.

This 2 row sucks. :lol:

How ya gonna store that chopped corn?

Yeah I still have it.

We will pile it on the ground and cover it with plastic or oats.Oats are alot less work and seem to work just fine.
 
Going back to the first pages conversation. Before I was born my grandfather branded one fine day in May and then a terrible storm/blizzard hit and now on that place there is a pasture called death valley due to all the freshly branded calves they lost.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if we don't hear some sad stories from NW South Dakota after this last storm. Four feet of snow and the wind we had?! That had to be rough.
 

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