Tillers vs. Plows

[Farmwithjunk]

F.W.J.,

"old school tillage methods have all but disappeared"

What methods are now being utilized, and what is your opinion regarding same?

Once upon a time EVERYONE used moldboard plows as primary tillage. There's still a few full-time farmers using them, but they've become quite rare. In the 1960's chisel plowing really took off. A typical high horsepower farm tractor can pull a chisel plow that's somewhat wider than the moldboard plow it's capable of toting. In addition, a chisel plow helps eliminate "plow pan" or a compaction layer just below the depth a moldboard plow operates at. Chisel plowing has remained a popular way to deep till.

Deep ripping has become the catch phrase for what is essentially "subsoiling" on a larger scale. Mostly done in the fall, ripping does what chiseling does, only deeper.

Discing has a bad habit of compacting soil. Farmers still disc on occasion, but it's fell out of popularity in many cases. Field cultivators can do basically the same job with better results in most conditions.

A combination of a disc and a deep ripper, conveniently named a DISC RIPPER has become popular with operators owning big, high horsepower 4wd's. It works deep AND gives a bit of "finish" to the seedbed. They're a "one pass" tillage method in some soil conditions.

Zone tillage is catching on. Only strip a few inches wide is tilled, then crop is seeded into that narrow strip. Saves fuel, controls erosion, and has much the same effect as full scale tilling.

No-till is big and getting bigger. Crop science has developed where yields are higher with no-till than conventional farming techniques in many cases. Fuel is saved, compaction is reduced, and TIME is saved. One issue with no-till, it allows farmers into fields when they're a wet. And that leads to compaction. In areas where climate conditions are a bit cooler during planting season no-tilling hasn't caught on quite as well. Tillage helps warm soil as well as helping excessive moisture evaporate.

I spent my farming carreer doing things one way. I plowed, disced 2 or 3 times, planted, sprayed, cultivated several times, and then harvested. It worked, but was time/labor intensive and used a LOT of what was once cheap fuel. If I was a young farmer today, no doubt about it, I'd be a no-till a no-till farmer. It works extremely good in this area. It ain't pretty. Burnt weeds in the spring after a chemical "burn down", no-tilling doesn't have that same look as a well tilled field with a young emerging corn crop, but it much more profitable, consistant, and efficient.

 

[Oleozz]

We still have some farmers in this area who moldboard plow, my next door neighbor for one and my cousin. By far the most popular is no-till.
I am going to be entering ground this spring that hasn't been turned over in 20 plus years. It is heavy sod with lots of multiflura rose and weeds such as posion ivy. I will be plowing it under with an IH 720 4btm. 18 inch. It's a plow noted for its ability to not clog up and turn the ground over well. I am then going to go over it with a heavy duty 18 ft IH disc. After several yrs of this I hope to get rid of the plow and disc, once the ground is again under my control, and go no-till.

 

[RalphVa]

A lot of farmers are going no till. Virginia Tech is actually doing some research into developing implements to down cover crops and then to drill seeds into what's left.

I'm doing no till by just using mulch and buckwheat to control weeds/moisture loss.

Worms and nematodes work with plant material and mulch over the winter and make lots of tunnels useful to conducting both oxygen and moisture deeper into the earth. You destroy these tunnels with a rototiller and disrupt them plenty with a plow. I don't really use any fertilizer. None is needed. Worms will make lots of poop.

Sure, there's some macho satisfaction in plowing and discing and generally running the tractor, but is this the best thing to do?

Ralph

 

[PA hayseed]

How does this (no till) apply to small food plots/gardeners/hobby farmers?

In my situation, my friend and I found a guy who owns many acres of old farmland. The guy will lease us (for $1 just wants an agreemnt) a couple of acres for us to put some tomatoes on. The ground WAS farmland about 10 years ago, but last had cattle on it. The ground is hard as rock, and will likely not take the tomatoes easily (we're going with seedlings, as there is a greenhouse nearby that will sell us flats dirt cheap). In another area, we are putting in some melons (musk not water). In total I would say we are only doing about 8-10 acres - nowhere near farm level.

So, having only known plow techniques prior to this, does this really apply to me. I can't see me spraying the ground then putting seedling in it. I have never tried it, so I am asking those of you who posted here that know.

I live in the mountains in PA. Our ground is normally hard, shale/flyash/rock, with minimal topsoil layer. Our growing season is from around memorial day to labor day. Most hobby farmers/gardeners in my area get manure, compost, vegetation, sawdust, chickenpoo, whatever, and till it in the ground to increase soil base and quality. Mix in some additivies for your needs alkaline or acidic, and add water and pray for rain and sunshine (of course in perfectly equal amounts which you never get). I like to add peat moss/topsoil/manure into my gardens, but will likely not do that on this big a scale. I do some composting, and have access to lots of composting material for larger scale needs.

Any input would be helpful, as this thread set me back to rethinking my attack plan this spring.

 

[redneckexplorer]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/nh-owning-operating/113827-tc-40-two-bottom-16-a-new-post.html

Something I posted related to plowing.

 

[Barneyhunts]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/nh-owning-operating/113827-tc-40-two-bottom-16-a-new-post.html

Something I posted related to plowing.

Redneckexplorer,
I found the comment about removing the loader to increase rear wheel traction interesting. Did you ever try it? I wonder how the loading compares to hanging weight on the front end?
Thanks

 

[hdbikercouple]

for what you are doing i would mold board plow. fyi i live about 40 miledsnorth east of harrisburg. on your tomatoe plants are you going to lay black (plastic) down so you don't have as many weeds to control?

 

[maxwell1]

Hi Folks,
What are your preferences for tilling the garden or a few (~5) acres? I have thick topsoil, flat land, no rocks and some drainage issues in spots. To date, I have plowed and disked. I will be buying a new tractor soon and would like to know some opinions / preferences in order choose new implements.

Thanks,
Glen

I have a TO-35 Ferguson tractor. I have plows, disc and a 5 ft. tiller.

I do like the tiller, it does a good job on preparing the seed bed after you work the ground and disc. However, the plows will leave the ground uneven with furrows on each side, but they will turn stuff under if needed.

I also have a (field cultivator) that does a great job of breaking up the ground, leaves it level, then you can disc and till.

Would not be without this tool, do not know why the country is not full of them.

look up on yahoo!!
Re: Ferguson BO Field Cultivator Differences

Note: Tiller will leave seed bed so loose that some seeds have a hard time coming up if it rains between planting and the comeup. I really like to prepare the seedbed with disc, but then again I am old school.

Just my two cents!!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

A lot of farmers are going no till. Virginia Tech is actually doing some research into developing implements to down cover crops and then to drill seeds into what's left.

I'm doing no till by just using mulch and buckwheat to control weeds/moisture loss.

Worms and nematodes work with plant material and mulch over the winter and make lots of tunnels useful to conducting both oxygen and moisture deeper into the earth. You destroy these tunnels with a rototiller and disrupt them plenty with a plow. I don't really use any fertilizer. None is needed. Worms will make lots of poop.

Sure, there's some macho satisfaction in plowing and discing and generally running the tractor, but is this the best thing to do?

Ralph

Worms and their "residue" don't come even remotely close to replacing soil nutrients on their own where a crop is taken from the land. Fertilizer of some sort, be it natural or synthetic, must be re-applied, or over time the soil will become depleted. Worms do help build soil structure and do replace SOME soil nutrients. More correctly, they help break down decaying matter and convert it into usefull nutrients. They cannot create matter. If those nutrients aren't there to begin with, albiet in an unusable form (to the plants), even those industrious little worms won't do anything to replentish the soil.

The most successful no-till programs rely on PROPER application of fertilizers as needed.

No-till also requires certain climatic conditions to work. Try selling the no-till concept to farmers in the northern plains states. Turning soil over helps to warm and dry the germination zone. If soil temps are allowed to rise naturally, then planting is delayed to the point where growing seasons become too short to raise an adaquate crop. Every farming practice has it's time and place.

 

[ampsucker]

correct me if i'm wrong, but no-till requires chemicals to kill weeds, right? so, it is totally not an option for anyone wanting to stay close to organic.

i am breaking up hard clay right now with a plow. i think the big giant "rocks" of clay will break up in the next hard rain and i'm going to add a ton of organics (literally) and then maybe bake it with some black plastic and try to grow some sprawling melon vines over the plastic this first year. then this fall plant a good cover crop i can plow under in the spring and might have something decent to work with next year.

if i had a good 3pt tiller, i'd go that route to help break up the giant clods. otherwise, i believe in keeping good particle size and not making the seed bed too fine, so a tiller wouldn't be my first choice. something that mimics the action of a large pitchfork to gentle turn over the soil is the best option for small scale organic growers. closest to that is a moldboard plow.

amp