Lessons learned /reinforced this spring

[gustgd]

Don't seed canola into pea or lentil stubble on a dry year. We got taught this one again last year and had to write it off. And have many neighbours this year that have mini disasters in the making. Very similar too the What would you do thread below.

Bought a 1545 Brandt conveyor with mover. it's the equivalent of a 10 inch auger on loading, can't say enough good about conveyors load time on super B's 20 min.
Why did we not buy one 10 years ago?

[furrowtickler]

We seeded our canola a little deeper this year b/c of the fear from last spring. Catch 22 though some canola in the rows only froze once or twice b/c of delayed emergence - but very stressed little plants and reduced plant stand even before the frost damage.
Also seen a feild seeded too shallow/fast west of here(very dry) 1/2 the seed is 1/4 in dry dust - complete write off.
Some feilds(seed hawks, seed masters) perfect germ, almost too thick, but 50-60% dead plants(frost) - plant stand still o.k. if we get rain.

[silverback]

God has a very strange sense of humor.

[SASKFARMER3]

Yea he has a very strange sense of humor. Our germ on canola was excellent with flexi coil and Deere, we were extremely wet. Frost did a lot of damage, will see how crop will turn out. Right now expecting very low yields.
We have 1545 conveyor that we bought the year they came out. Loading super bees the drivers almost salivate. Its slow on canola and Durum but on rest holy crap.
Look this year at the Australian disc drill that you can seed at 11 miles an hour. It will be a farm progress.

[cottonpicken]

Lesson learned-stepping out and taking a leak while seeding at 5 mph is not the same as stepping out and taking a leak while spraying at 18 mph

[gregpet]

Hopefully you weren't facing the wind when you were leaking on the sprayer. Doesn't your sprayer and tractor have deadman switches that won't let you get off the seat while they are moving? I know I've rewired a few things in my time but I can stop for a leak and check the openers or nozzels.

[Ron]

Remeber the tethers on snowmobiles in the 1970's? Maybe they should be hardwired in with autosteer so the engine shuts off as you hit the ground? I am so jealous.

[furrowtickler]

cotton, I thought I was the only one dumb enough on the seeder but the spayer?

[cottonpicken]

The tractor doesnt but the sprayer does,and thats how i found out,got my heart racing when the stearing kicked out and the sprayer started drifting.Pissed all over myself.

Had to try it.

Local newspaper headlines may have been embaresing:

"FARMER RUNS OVER SELF WHILE URINATING ALCHOL MAY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED"

[checking]

Cotton, you need to plumb a line from the cab into the rinse tank!!

[Fransisco]

Cotton, never mind the local paper, try explaining that one to St Peter at the Pearly gates.

[cropduster]

Guys,it`s called a `relief tube`.Standard business on some aircraft.Some gravel truck drivers of a certain ethnic origin in Calgary were cutting holes in the floors of their trucks for the same purpose.Seems a lot of mechanics wouldn`t work on their trucks after they saw these!!

[norton17]

The 1545 conveyors arent made for canola at all.
We wrecked two different belts loading canola (multiple loads). If you only have a load or two its fine but if you have 15 loads to go, get the auger out.

We're waiting on a 10" auger to unload canola bins for this very reason.

Thing I learned most: get out and get your work done, it can freeze in early June too so you might as well be seeding early. Some guys late crops in our area are just coming up now.

2nd thing: if someone comes wanting us to fill our fertilizer bins in early august...punch them in the throat. Not only did we pay ridiculous prices, but every bin was a pain in the butt to get the fertilizer out. We used kitty litter in the bottom and garbage bagged the top and it was still awful.

3rd: malt barley sucks. It sucks dealing with these guys when you have no leg to stand on. They can go through 20 different things on your barley until they find something to reject it b/c of, or they can still accept it and discount you $100/tonne.

[gustgd]

Norton thanks for the advice on the canola I had heard that as well.

fully agree with you on the fertilizer in July. and malt comments.

We've grown malt for years with no problems but this year the malties are being tools.

Another thing that was reinforced this year was the importance of grain pricing orders, set it and forget it.
well not quite but they do allow you to set a target and not have to watch the markets every moment.

[checking]

Appreciate your comment that you don't have to watch the market much if you've locked in a target, but do you not think you are giving the buyers a big bonus by doing that? In effect you've set a minimum acceptable price that could be reached in any event. If yours is the lowest target, you've allowed the purchaser the advantage of picking that off without having to think of going higher.