bleedgreen720 - 10/17/2020 10:52

I watched some gabe browns seminars on youtube. Interesting. I never heard much of what his wheat or corn yields in comparison to his neighbours or the real numbers on margins. If I was his neighbour and he was putting way more money in his pocket than I was why wouldn't I be doing it ? He would certainly be willing to teach me how and give me insight but yet they don't ? Obviuosly not til has benefits, shade the soil conserve moisture and so on.... I'm just not there yet I guess. Maybe buy a 0 till drill and try. I'm not sold on cocktail crops either. If I spray down a hay field and miss a portion and seed through that spot the grass always overtakes the crop

harristonloam - 10/18/2020 14:47

There is a lot things that are different up here.

1. Straw yield, long cool days are perfect for cereals.

2. Dry late summer/fall weather, The straw is often in excellent condition at harvest and has little receives little rainfall before freeze up.

3. Cold, Frozen straw dosen't break down. It was -8c last night, and harvest just finishing.

4. Cold springs, the frost isn't always out of the ground at planting time.
Not much time to warm up, dry out, or break down straw.

Agreed .. I don't want to pulverize soil but a little black showing to help things warm up. Where I wintered cows the feeding spots had ice under them through may til I removed the cover and worked through it. In a normal field situation I think if the straw is beat up and laying close to the surface like after a heavy harrowing it will break down fairly quickly over the summer. I think I might have more issues with long canola stubble that is worked free clogging harrows or narrow spaced drills. Going to try and heavy harrow that and no till oats next year. No perfect answer, go burn some diesel I guess

Alberta Cowman - 10/18/2020 18:09

Is the straw chopped or is it long due to being lodged and on the ground?

How heavy of disk are you using? I know my wishek will handle way more trash than my chisel plow will. This was yesterday on some fall rye grazing aftermath. It was only cleared a couple years ago and still has lots of roots otherwise I’d no till it.

I like the job that a pro till does but it’s hard to stomach a 6 figure tillage tool.

It’s easy to spend someone else’s money but I think you should look at a no till disk drill. I am always amazed at what my BG 4710 disk drill will go through. 4’ tall rose bushes and snowed under 70 bu barley crops don’t faze it. I’ve had neighbours say I’m crazy when I tell them I’m going to seed a piece instead of disking it first. Maybe I am?

bleedgreen720 - 10/17/2020 21:18

that 4710 looks like a tank of a drill. How do they pull ? What does it weigh ? Also how big of wishek is that and how many hp to pull it ? We are flat ground here I thought my 320hp would pull a twenty something foot wishek ?

Valleyfarmer - 10/19/2020 08:12

Just to start, we are in Manitoba and do tillage. How is the chopper on you combine? We run a 2188 and cx8090 with a fine cut chopper. If it’s dry, the Cx just throws powder out, even in 150 bu oats. 2188 always leaves way more residue to run through. Even after tillage, you can see where each combine ran in the spring.