Fall field work (SF3 & others too)

[fjlip]

Applying fertilizer blend with spikes on 8810, weather permitting in next two weeks. Will spray some fields if not frozen. A heavy straw field will get disked too. Heavy harrow next spring, straw disintegrates much better, fields/lumps get smoothed for drill.

[SASKFARMER3]

We sprayed all cereals in crop. Canola that's harvested has been sprayed before the shit weather hit Wednesday. We then kelly harrow at 12mph on a 45 angle. Works about one inch. No straw to catch snow and no more moisture. Hope to do all canola stubble and work lower areas in hrs oats and barley stubble. Peas all black.

[blackpowder]

I would fall band if I wasn't still threshing.
Heavy harrowing when can.
Would love to joker/vertical till my pea stubble but crap they are expensive to rent.
May float some Edge/Avadex on with some fert later.
With some possible custom work could be combining till friggin freeze up if the friggin forecast is right.

[blackpowder]

Sask, if I may ask. You say Kelly harrow. Wich style or brand? You don't see any here. Tried a phoniex harrow years ago and thought it useless.
We get pea stubble that you cannot go through with anything but a joker etc. Kelly's look cheaper to operate than those other damn things but again none in this country.. Lodged piss flat peas need to be cut with something.

[hobbyfrmr]

Farmaholic, Why do you think I was being sarcastic? Sure looks like all the cool kids on AV are also spraying their stubble. I said it must be beneficial, because...well....I thought that it must be beneficial somehow.

$8.50 canola, and $4.50 wheat.......who needs the lobotomy?

Good luck with spraying and fall work.

[hobbyfrmr]

I spike everything with a Bourgault 8800.

[furrowtickler]

Hobby - I will leave a strip of "Unsprayed" canola stuble - next year in the wheat you can come play in the sow thistle and hawks beard

[SASKFARMER3]

blackpowder the Kelly cuts because of the speed and discs not spikes like the phoenix. We tried the Lemkin and Salford. Like the Kelly because its cheaper to pull, less maintenance and if the ground gets dry enough to put a tractor on you can go. Clay you need the speed at 6 it just fills and rolls at 12 to 13 it cleans discs and works. Clay loam soil is best, lighter areas we just go around and leave stubble.
Now were in the black soil zone so not really worried about working in fall. Plus over 3 inches in September, ground is wet it really cuts. Did peas that were half harvested half left do to flooding worked in early sept after harvested, got a growth their ready for fall.
Fall roundup if its minus 5 for 8 hours for more than a few nights sprayer is put away on our farm. So far we will keep doing the fields that were not sprayed. Canola is only fields. Harvest wait three days spray wait 5 and work.
Tired of mud the no till experiment needs to be adjusted. Some ground hasn't been tilled since 1984.

[farmaholic]

SF3: Sounds like your no till experiment turned into common practice like alot of other farms. Conditions change and to remain viable or even survive this racket, we will need to adapt.

[SASKFARMER3]

I agree with adapting to the changes that happen. Last three years we try to get over a few. This year its any day you cant harvest your working stubble. On our farm Canola on worked land a good 8 bus higher. Wheat also see some improvement barley way better. Oats not sure yet.
Tillage is back.

[Braveheart]

If you feel you have to till, it's your land, and your business.

We stick to no till. It works for us. After a big rain the neighbours' tilled fields pond. Ours don't.

I won't go into the soil degradation issues. But I will talk about the money.

Our smallish farm survives by trying to watch spending. Tillage is something we can't afford, even if we wanted to do it.

Fuel, hours on tractors, throw away parts like cultivator shovels, acres on tires, operator labour, and nowadays the high capital cost of decent tillage equipment all combine to push the cost,of tillage outside our budget. We have to make no till work.

We do heavy harrow stubble (not all fields). We have to make sure trash is managed to allow the seeder through.

[farmaholic]

Braveheart, this isn't so much of a problem for us but I was told of guys who can hardly get any traction on no till, thick thatch covered fields. They stay too wet and greasy and the other drawback is they are slow to warm up for germination. As mentioned earlier I also think aids in the development of disease.

I do admit I like what its done to the land and I could honestly say our crops have never been better (during my tenure). But its creating a new set of challenges and costs. I don't farm in the parkland, we're classified as moist dark brown and regarding moisture could go either way any year.....