|
SW Missouri | Good post. Obviously the best way to eliminate clods is to not make them in the first place. A lot of guys suffer from lack of patience and start to quick when it's to wet. They see the neighbors doing something and don't want to be thought of as lazy or something.
Everyones situation is different. I TRY to notill everything I can, but thats not always possible. This year I ran a Pheonix rotary harrow over it first on the ground that needed dried out a little. Then the next day I ran a Salford over it, let it dry some and planted. On the fields that were dryer I just ran the Salford and planted.
One key point about notill or vertical tillage that I don't see talked about much is that you need to get your fields leveled up before you start. Then do everything you can to not screw it up. I know I will probable get flamed for that statement("I can't afford to leave a crop in the field till it dries up!" I know, I've said it myself) But the longer you notill the firmer the ground gets and you don't make ruts in wet years. I had fields that I would have swore I would have to work when I cut the beans in December. This spring they weren't that bad. One pass with the Salford and they looked good. I don't know what kind of compaction is there but there isn't much I can do about that in the spring. If I had a strip till tool I would have ran that about 8-10" deep to take out any compaction but I don't have one yet. | |
|
The theory of a dirt clod...
