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| I think the different times were vastly different do to the availability and popular use of herbicides. Starting off in the 50's every acre was plowed. Only herbicide used much locally was 2-4-D and that sparingly. Corn knives were the common weapon against sunflowers, cockle burs etc. After plowing the soil usually crusted which prompted rotary hoeing which thinned an already sparse population planted back then. THEN the crop had to survive cultivating up to 3 or 4 times. The hot dry summer winds shriveled the crop since most of the moisture was gone due to all turning of soils. Might even have had a go-devil pass in there. Commonly much grass was left in the rows which further sucked life out of yields. Expenses like fuel very low, expense of personal labor very high so high acreage wasnt very possible.
Fast forward to 60s. You could still rent land on shares or buy on contract with $2-300 per acre. Some grass herbicide being used let you farm an extra quarter. Biggest hold back was farmers could not get out of habit of plowing every acre, but now bigger tractors and cabs got every son and daughter and grandpa off the M and 3 bottom. Crusting and erosion were major problems. People were buying more herbicide and fertilizer as yields increased.
70s brought the end to plowing every acre and started the era of heavy deep discing twice and maybe a field cultivator pass with a good ground incorporated grass AND broad leaf herb which finally brought and end to WALKING every acre with a corn knife. Erosin decreased some.
80s and 90s finally brought on the trend of no-tilling which was a God send. 1. decreased erosion. to near zero 2. Better seed to soil contact and less air pockets 3. In this land of 50% rainfall compared to 50 miles east it got MORE of the crop thru the long hard dry summers. A couple 3/4" rains could get the crop from middle June to late August with no other rain. 4 Savings of fuel and time so very valuable. 5. Herbicide on every acre already so didnt matter anyway. Roundup on broad leafs much easier than 2-4 D was on yields.
Herbicides availability and common usage in an area and getting rid of recreational tillage, biggest advancements in agriculture. The demise of the "corn Picker" a close second | |
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- Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - Red Paint : 1/16/2019 10:29
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - povertypoint : 1/16/2019 10:34
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - paul the original : 1/16/2019 11:14
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - Southern Farmer : 1/16/2019 11:31
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - barren : 1/16/2019 11:48
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - ricefarmer14 : 1/16/2019 12:12
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - Slugbait : 1/16/2019 13:05
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - OntarioCanuck : 1/16/2019 13:10
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - kipps : 1/16/2019 15:06
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - don@nebr : 1/16/2019 16:43
- My great uncle bought the farm we live on in the early forties - footballjunkie : 1/16/2019 17:25
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - GM Guy : 1/16/2019 17:36
- RE: Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time? - oldbones : 1/16/2019 21:27
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Cost of Living: If you lived like a different time, could you farm like a different time?
