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Michigan | I’ve moldboard plowed a few acres of our organic ground the last 2 years and it significantly reduced the weed problems, some of the Canadian Thistle patches were 95% reduced. The yields were great after plowing. This is on hilly heavy red clay ground. According to the experts moldboard plowing will reduce your organic matter and deplete it to nothing over time. I’m not sold that is actually true. One reason is they have been plowing in Europe for centuries and still have wheat that out yields ours by far. I’m not saying we should go back to all plowing but in our soil it seems to be a good thing once in a while. I even believe it takes out the compaction layer at 3-4”. I think it’s another tool we should not throw out and seems that all we do as farmers is drink the same kool aid and not think for our selves. The no till cover crop “regenerative” thing is all the rage and I do some of that also but it is not the one and only solution to than main reason we farm and that is to make a living. I’m a farmer not a miner but I also have to make a profit and I don’t believe plowing once every 5 years or so is necessarily evil as some would have you believe. | |
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Moldboard Plowing
