[AT] Plows, was Re: Supervision

Mon Jun 29 03:43:11 PDT 2015

Other than for tobacco no till has been the normal practice here for a 
couple decades now. The usual practice is a field is overwintered with 
some sort of grain that was no till drilled in the fall in the stubble 
of the previous crop. Those fields were sprayed prior to planting with 
Round Up (or possibly a generic) depending on the crop and the seed 
source. In the spring the grain is either sprayed with RU (or generic) 
as a knock down before no till planting corn or soybeans or it is 
allowed to mature and is harvested then the field is planted (again till 
soybeans or possibly plowed and prepared for tobacco. The tobacco prep 
usually involves a chisel plow and a disk but sometimes a moldboard plow 
is used.

The farmer who leases the pasture and the two small fields here 
specializes in hay production but for the last couple years he has grown 
corn then soybeans in part as a rotation to help kill some weeds that 
were causing him problems with quality hay production. This spring he 
drilled barley which he cut for hay a couple weeks ago and he has 
reseeded with grass. Other than the weed control his cost for such small 
plots and having to hire harvesting of the corn and beans left him with 
almost zero income from these fields.

David
NW NC

On 6/28/2015 9:18 PM, charlie hill wrote:
> Mike, no til is not as pretty but it preserves and even increases top soil
> because there is less wind and run off erosion.   The crop stubble helps
> protect  the young seedlings from the wind in early spring and there is
> a significant cost savings over conventional tillage.   I'm not sure what
> stage
> of the crop year you are seeing the weeds during but typically no til farms
> are planted in round up resistant crops and are sprayed for weed control so
> my guess is you are seeing them before they are sprayed or the farmers are
> having problems with their spray program, either due to improper application
> or
> rain wash off or because of weeds that have grown resistant to round up.
>
> I love the look of a freshly plowed field but as a land owner I've grown to
> really appreciate
> no-til particularly in March when the wind is blowing tons of top soil from
> plowed fields into nearby woods
> and streams.   I've actually thought about going back to farming our place
> because all I
> need now to do it is a set of no til planters, a sprayer and occasionally a
> disc harrow and bush hog.
> If not for the expense of owning a combine (even well used) for such small
> acreage  I would do it.
>
> Charlie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike
> Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2015 8:02 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Plows, was Re: Supervision
>
> I am sure there is more than meets the eye in choosing conventional
> tillage vs no till, but here in central Michigan I've noticed the no
> till fields looks crappy, and are full of weeds. Could just be bad
> practices, but it's what I've noticed.
>
> Mike M
>
>
> On 6/28/2015 3:41 PM, Herb Metz wrote:
>> Charlie,
>> With no-till becoming so prominent I doubt if many implement mfgers are
>> very
>> active in plow design research. Knerveland in Norway is a significant
>> player
>> in many farm plowing contests; however my impression is the prime concern
>> there is appearance of the plowed field.  What factors do the judges use
>> in
>> grading contestants? Is fuel economy a consideration?  Now that you
>> mention
>> this, I also would like to know.  Herb(GA)
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: charlie hill
>> Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2015 1:38 PM
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Plows, was Re: Supervision
>>
>> Can anyone explain the differences in the plows and what makes one
>> pull better than the other?  Unless their was a patent on the geometry
>> of the frame or the curve of the plow share it seems to me like everyone
>> in the business would have built one according to the best model.
>> I know that Allis plows work particularly good behind Allis tractors but
>> that
>> is because their mounted plows were designed to work with the "traction
>> booster" system and that had more to do with how the traction booster
>> works
>> and the geometry of the frame than it did with how the plow turned the
>> soil.
>> I'd sure like to know more about the designs.
>>
>> Charlie
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Cecil R Bearden
>> Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2015 8:03 AM
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Plows, was Re: Supervision
>>
>> The old tractor mechanic, who taught me the trade over 50 years ago, had
>> worked in a Moline dealership for many years in OKC.   He would tell
>> about the only plows that could pull the red clay in OK, were Moline &
>> Oliver.  He also would talk about which brand bought Moline & Oliver
>> plows and painted them their colors.  Here in OK, if we plow 8 to 10
>> inches deep, it is deep.  We usually only plow to roll up the terraces
>> when they get worn down.   I am in the part of the country where the
>> Graham Hoeme plow was invented.
>>
>> Cecil in OKla
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 6/26/2015 11:01 PM, Greg Hass wrote:
>>> In our area of Michigan, a lot of people don't moldboard  plow any more
>>> but those that do, and going back 50 years, usually plow at 10 to 12
>>> inches. I still plow, IH 3 bottom roll-over plow, and I stay in that
>>> range. I  think I would have trouble trying to plow at your depth. In
>>> our area, the most popular plow ever was the IH 720.  In fact, 95% of
>>> green tractors pulled red plows. A local used machinery dealer used to
>>> say there are two plows in this country; the IH 720 and then all the
>>> rest.
>>>         Greg Hass
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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