[AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
Dave Rotigel
rotigel at me.com
Sat Apr 23 10:17:36 PDT 2011
I'v found that DDT works well in fighting harmful insects!
Dave
On Apr 23, 2011, at 9:02 AM, charlie hill wrote:
> That's an interesting concept Grant. I'd sure like to see a
> "formula" for
> intermixing "insectary" plants in a small home garden. It could be
> beneficial to the crop and also add some interesting aesthetics to the
> garden. Maybe an internet search is in order!
>
> Charlie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Grant Brians
> Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2011 8:06 AM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>
> John, for most farmers the type of rows you describe are not done.
> However
> there is an organic farming practice which is becoming more common
> for both
> Organic and Chemical growers of having a bed about very 60 to 80 feet
> planted in "insectary" crops. What is done is to plant one or more
> flowering
> plants (Alyssum is the most common) that support a number of type of
> insects
> that are beneficial in fighting harmful insects and plant diseases.
> This is
> especially useful for Broccoli and Head Lettuce in the California
> coastal
> zone. This can reduce production costs a significant amount by
> eliminating
> most chemical or organic sprays. The interest in this practice is
> two-fold.
> First it saves the cost of the spray and application. Second, it helps
> control some pests that the chemicals are becoming or have become
> ineffective at controlling or there is no registered organic
> material to
> control the pest.
> Many vegetable crop pests there are few effective options to
> control
> pests by spraying conventional agricultural chemicals nowadays. This
> is not
> because there are immense regulatory hurdles (in some cases there
> are...)
> but because despite the very large value of fruit and vegetable
> production
> in the US and worldwide, the profits to be made by a company in an
> individual vegetable crop are often judged to be too small to pay
> off. This
> is the root of the interest by chemical vegetable farmers in IPM
> (integrated
> pest management or looking at all factors in the problems and
> controlling
> whenever possible with cultural practices or organic practices).
> Also, as you noted below, the self propelled purpose built
> sprayers are
> now largely tall enough to clear even tall row crops. I have noticed a
> continued trend toward fewer aerial applications of pesticides due
> to the
> combination of drift problems and the rapidly rising cost of doing
> them....
> Grant Brians
> Hollister,California vegetable, nuts and fruit farmer
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of john hall
> Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 4:22 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>
>
> Grant, do any of the vegetable crops use "sled rows"? Basically for
> tobacco
> you don't plant the fifth, seventh, or ninth row---usually
> determined by the
> width of your sprayer. The reason behind this is tobacco is too tall
> to
> straddle the rows. With the equipment. The harvest trailers,
> sprayers and
> irrigation equipment all use the sled row.
>
> Now that I think of it, self propelled sprayers should be able to
> fit down
> the crop rows. I've never been around a harvester to know what they
> do with
> the crop trailer. Some of the old ones used to carry the trailer I
> think,
> the new ones may hold the crop and dump at the end of the row. I
> think all
> irrigation would still require a sled row--either for the trailer or
> for the
> gun on a reel system.
>
> By the way, do you guys have any ride-on harvesters? We used to have
> a four
> row model for tobacco. Everything was hand harvested and when the
> storage
> racks were full we packed them onto a trailer.
>
> John
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Grant Brians" <sales at heirloom-organic.com>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> >
> Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 4:01 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>
>
>> We use tractors for harvest two ways. Either with a three point hitch
>> mounted box or with a welded platform mounted to the tractor on all
>> four
>> sides. The 100's have the platform mounted and the other tractors
>> have the
>> three point hitch boxes. The platforms are an item that is pretty
>> much a
>> California vegetable area exclusive as they actually were designed
>> for
>> carrying the 30' long portable aluminum sprinkler pipe on either
>> side of
>> the
>> operator. I have four tractors set up with what are locally
>> referred to as
>> "pipe racks". While many different types of tractors were converted
>> for
>> pipe
>> racks, the preferred models are ones like the Farmall 100 or 240,
>> AC model
>> C
>> and JD2010. The reason for these being preferred is that they are two
>> wheel
>> drive (less weight and cheaper), narrow wheels, wide front end to
>> match
>> 60"
>> to 80" wheel spacing and straddle the vegetable or strawberry beds
>> and low
>> height wheels to make it easier to place the pipe on the tractor and
>> remove
>> it. Typically the weight is balanced on the rear wheels with just
>> enough
>> weight on the front wheels to make for easy control of the tractor
>> - no
>> power steering needed.
>> For the harvest boxes, then you need a heavy enough front end of
>> the
>> tractor to counter-balance the box, either with weights or inherent
>> construction.
>> Grant Brians
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
>> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of john hall
>> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 3:09 PM
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>>
>>
>> I can't stand the larger steering wheels on the number series. Not
>> certain
>> when they changed it, may have been with the 100. We've always had
>> Super
>> A's
>> and they are pretty easy to off and on.
>>
>> What exactly do you mean by "harvest configuration". Is this
>> something
>> like
>> the Asparagus A's I read about one time?
>>
>> John
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Grant Brians" <sales at heirloom-organic.com>
>> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
>> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 7:30 AM
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>>
>>
>>> John, I actually have a 240 with cultivating bars. The issue with
>>> the 100
>>> and 200 series tractors is that they were made for a light amount of
>>> weight.
>>> They have small wheels and the wide front ends wear out the
>>> kingpins and
>>> wheel bearings when loaded down in a harvest tractor
>>> configuration. The
>>> parts are appropriately sized to the rest of the tractor, but are
>>> not
>>> made
>>> to haul rutabagas, turnips, watermelons etc.... There is one other
>>> 100
>>> issue
>>> that I mentioned before - I am 6'6" tall and cannot fit into the
>>> seat
>>> area!
>>> It would be even worse for my son, he is almost 6'8" tall and has
>>> quite a
>>> bit longer legs.
>>> The harvest tractor issues are becoming exacerbated as we will
>>> have
>>> well over 300 acres planted of vegetables this year on the current
>>> 185
>>> acres
>>> I am farming and if the new 100 acres gets added as planned to my
>>> operation
>>> this season then it will be even more of an issue clearly.
>>> Grant Brians
>>> Hollister,California Vegetable, Nuts and Fruit farmer
>>>
>> at
>>
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