if saturday does not get us

[Hopperbin]

Dammit klause. Stay out of the field your a rain magnet. Its heading for you. You gonna get it done?

[fjlip]

1983 20 minutes of golf ball hail and plow wind destroyed crops. Standing was worse, swathed still half there, combined dry. Swathed canola 8 bu/acre, standing was summerfallow. In 1993 a foot of snow flattened all standing crop. Lots was cut ONE way, first and only year we needed lifters. Swathed stuff only bleached. Too cold to sprout. In 2005 lost several hundred acres of malt, sprouted in the head standing, humid, showers and hot! Everything works sometime NOTHING works all the time. Mother F*cking Nature dictates results.

[agchat]

With new auto sensing technology... No offense Tom but not all of us have the latest and greatest technology. I do pray your reply is not "maybe you should not be farming then".. I have wheat ripe now, but as long as it does not start to break down, i will straight it. If it starts breaking down I will swath in a heartbeat. Also Freewheat you probably have had a many later harvests than I have. Will a heavy wet snow not lay dead heavey ripe wheat flatter than piss on a plate? Oh ya, last reason,around here i do all the dirty and manual work, any time I do get some help, running a pickup header is much more relaxing than a straight header.

[freewheat]

Yep ag chat, a heavy wet snow will flatten crops. But a light 3 or 4 incher will finish any hope of swathed crop, and if the wind wiggles the crop and the snow ends up on the ground, the standing stuff is not a write off.

Come the 10th or so of October, if the crop is not ready, or heavy snow is forecast, I can and will swath.

This area is always late, always wet, and always a grind.

For me, leaving it stand has always been WAY better than laying it down. I have straight cut some pretty darn gnarly tangled and flat oats many times. I have combined wheat and flax straight with snow on the ground several times. I have lost more crops that I laid down at the "optimal" swath time, only to have it rain for the rest of the season. If it is standing, it will be dryer sooner after rains.

Yes, hail and wind, and lodging can occur. But in 23 years, I have never seen hail outside of July. Now anything can happen, but I am simply playing percentages. And for me, my chance at better grades and dryer grain, always occur if it is left standing.

After tomorrows rain, my neighbors swathed barley will be absolutely soaked. A bit of wind, and my standing stuff will be dry sooner, guaranteed. And it is far less likely to sprout standing up than laying down. I have combined malt quality barley on October 26th, after standing through a month or more of steady rain. That was 2005. The swathed stuff was junk.

So for me, standing is 9 and a half times out of ten, better than swathed.

My conditions are not typical remember. This is not the dry plains, this is the stinking wet and cool parklands.

Results may vary!

[sumdumguy]

Has anyone tried gowth regulating chemicals on crops?

[freewheat]

I think Klause has.

[agchat]

Wont argue about barley, never did like to swath that stuff. Sprouts away to easy.

[Klause]

We use Ethrel.


Manipulator or whatever they call it is snake oil. Doesn't do anything.


Ethrel shortens straw. Strengthens the spikelets and eliminates lodging.


You have to be so careful with staging though.

we couldn't get to the wheat on time but did do the oats. Everyone else's is flat ours stands great

[sumdumguy]

Interesting, this year would have been the year to do some trials. With all this moisture, there is plenty of straw. Klause, can you comment on yield ?

[freewheat]

Another few straight cut benefits: I cut my stubble WAY higher than if I swathed. I do not need a heavy harrow, because less material through the combine means a better spread/less down straw to seed into the following year. We all know the standing stubble does not cause the issue that the horizontal straw does. I have seeded into 18 inch stubble with my old 12 inch space modified air seeder. Not a problem.... I also burn less fuel, and travel much faster while combining than if I swathed. No swather costs. Fuel, parts, time, capital costs. A few cost savings there as well.

Just thought about these things...

[Partners]

Taller stubble catches more snow...We do not need the added moisture in this area...We cut wht. at 6 inches..combine chops it to zip..seed in to blacker soil..grows faster in the colder temps...

[freewheat]

I agree, Partners with the snow catch issue. I am less sure about soil temp gains, after comparing my canola to others in the area this year. A spring frost and it would be much more susceptible no doubt. Take the good with the bad, huh? No question about that. Hey, what wheat did you grow this year again? Vesper? Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!!! I tried Shaw, it looks good, but is very late.

[Klause]

We have used Ethrel for 3 years now. 5 to 7 bu increase in unity hrs.


Oats didn't leave check strip... Ours stands that's all I care about


straw length in unity goes from chest to just under waist high.

Oats moreso. Our Souris isn't much above knee high...

[Partners]

Utmost..(anything but Secan)The 40 acres we have combined went 49 b/a after we dried it..
We have a test strip of 90 acres of canola where we burnt the wheat straw this spring..Side by side, same field..The burnt , black field looks way better..will weigh at combine time to varify any diff...

[Hopperbin]

Klause your etherel does not show yield increase from the road. Why the **** on a semi drarf use something to kick the shit out of it. Like farming around wet spots 6 inches high with grainin it. What the **** kick it with etherel. Your oats is not as good as neighbours. His is half flat with awesome yummy oat seeds.