For all the crack addicts out there

[Ache4Acres]

[farmaholic]

WOW. Our low spots in our clay based dirt will crack but nothing that dramatic....thats insane. Our lighter land doesn't crack at all. Alot of water can sink into that crack. If its gaping that wide just.think how deep it goes. Stick a rod down and measure it. Fall tillage is out if there isn't any rain to soften up that clay land.

[Ache4Acres]

Lots of the big chunks between the cracks actually can wiggle. Like giant loose teeth.

Havent tried a rod down the cracks but you can see down a solid 3 to 4ft in most spots. we were saying that you would have to think it fixes all compaction issues....seems about equivalent to a massive 3ft deep subsoiler.

[makar]

This is why i almost puke when people say heavy soil holds moisture.

[furrowtickler]

S/F .... that's what drought does

[Oliver88]

WOW. Our low spots in our clay based dirt will crack but nothing that dramatic....thats insane. Our lighter land doesn't crack at all. Alot of water can sink into that crack. If its gaping that wide just.think how deep it goes. Stick a rod down and measure it. Fall tillage is out if there isn't any rain to soften up that clay land.

It's not often you hear about a ghetto being crack free......

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Is this till, or no-till, and would it make any difference? Never seen a pasture crack, but crop and hayland sure does.

I thought our heavy clay shrunk and cracked badly, but it is nothing like that, never seen a crack more than a few inches deep.

[sumdumguy]

Story has it that back in 1961, a farmer near Sedley broke his arm swathing with a Fordson tractor when the front wheel fell into a crack. It puts a new twist on the health hazards of crack. There's still hope for my mother-in-law.

[SASKFARMER3]

Yes Furrow i know what drought does.

Thats what we had same as others 45 days of no rain in Heat of July and end of June.

Sub soil grew a crop.



This is the crop on the land that this particular cracks are found on.

Eastern Sask is cooler daily temps than west. Cooler nights, more humidity and more fog and dew.

Thats what helped out. Still some who challenge on here how well would you do with no rain since June 14th to August 2.

[farmaholic]

It's not often you hear about a ghetto being crack free......

Here in the Slum of the Ghetto our land is too "poor" to have those huge crack problems. Some of my Ghetto dirt can be real selfish and stingy on years like this. A "dry" Ghetto is good for peace and harmony but not crop production....even a crop can benefit from afew stiff drinks on a regular basis. Ghetto farming requires lower expectations with the same costs as "gated communities".... we just make due with less...even the crack problem.

[farmaholic]

This is why i almost puke when people say heavy soil holds moisture.

That thought entered my mind as well...can you imagine...a huge gaping crack for moisture to escape from. It would still be interesting if Ache stuck a light flexible rod in that crack to see how deep it would go down....and who knows, it is likely deeper than the rod would indicate.

[furrowtickler]

Ok ok , I will leave ya alone .... for now on the dry thing .
We went from May 27 till July 21st with a few 1/10 th showers. Some areas here longer and with less as well.
Your right the sub soil make a huge difference . It is the only reason we have a crop at all here. Lighter land in the area was torched back about the 15th July .

[SASKFARMER3]

The last day when Regina hit 39 we were 33 but that day the light land went white.

Then it rained 8/10 two days later i think and that saved the areas that didn't go white.

[farmaholic]

Tell me why you can dig down a bit in the sandy patches and always seem to find some moisture but it can't sustain a crop.....

Come to think of it we basically still have not received any meaningful rain since the middle of June. A "sprinkle" here and there but nothing that would counter evaporation and replenish soil moisture reserves. Hope it comes this fall yet, otherwise Ghetto farming will sink to a whole new level....I don't think its been this dry since we started the high input cost method of farming. So ya, it is different this time....you can't buy a crop with inputs and pay for it without the currency of "rain".

[SASKFARMER3]

But in some so so dry years the Clay cracks and its a so so crop yet the lighter never cracks and it does better in so so years. Total shit dry years no it doesn't.