Tillage?

[Boll Weevil]

To what degree do you apply conventional tillage on your property? (Note: not including vertical tillage or ripping/subsoiling that leaves the soil column largely in place)?

A few examples:
1) Majority no-till, throw'n mow, or <5% intentional soil disturbance
2) Lightly strip-disking hard field edges to promote new/early successional growth
3) Applying a rotary tiller to perhaps the top 1-2" of soil managing a some weeds and/or creating a seedbed
4) Using a disk harrow that disturbs soil down to 3-8" managing most weeds and creating a seedbed
5) Heavy tillage...perhaps for managing residue or promoting a more rapid increases in soil temperature

My inquiry isn't seeking to determine what is "best" but simply trying to get an idea of how many folks disturb the soil and to what degree.

 

[scott44]

I used to rent a 6' tiller and almost bought one but I didn't. The majority of my plots are the LC rotation so the brassicas work out real well rolling down the last years rye, the cereal grains get broadcast into whatever has come up from last years brassicas. I still haven't found a way to get my sorghum mix in without minimal tilling, still working on it maybe plant it a little later ? So right now I still lightly disc for the sorghum mix so it's about 80% throw and mow/roll 20% disc.

 

[yoderjac]

I use a combination with now deep tillage. I throw and mow where I can. In some cases in fields with low OM and heavy clay I use a tiller set 1" or less deep. I use a small no-till drill (Kasco Versadrill) for large seeds like soybeans and corn. Fall plants are almost exclusively some variant of throw and grow.
When I first started, results were poor compared to conventional tillage with high inputs. Each year, my results have improved and my plots are as good now as they ever were with much less work and much lower input (fertilizer) cost.

The other thing I've noticed is that I have a much wider planting window. With conventional tillage and my clay, I had to be extremely careful about getting a tractor on a field that is wet. Without tillage, I get less compression if fields are wet, and they dry out much faster. I can also use much lighter equipment with these techniques. I find myself using the little tractor much more and the bigger DK45 much less often.

I'll be interested to see the responses as well.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Smallplot]

I look at this as an individual plot by plot basis depending on current conditions. Having said that I do rotate some areas where I spray and no-till every other year. Just to aid the possibility of resistance.


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[j-bird]

I use a rotary tiller to the top few inches to plant my summer annual plots (corn or soybeans). Smaller seed I tend to use a throw and mow/spray.

I used to have to plow and disc because it was my only option from an equipment stand point. I still have the equipment, but I prefer to NOT use those tools if I can prevent it. I borrow the tiller as it would be roughly $1,000 implement that I simply can't justify to use once or twice a year......not when the plow and disc was free.

 

[SWIFFY]

I have about 5 acres of corn and beans rotated every other year, all No-Till. Im comfortable going strictly to No-Till on my brassicas and clover. I do use a disk or drag behind the ATV when planting my Buckwheat, Oats, Rye, etc. I just find for the grains it works a lot better to at least have a little disturbance on top.

I dont think my property has seen truly black, turned dirt in over a decade anyway. I will say my corn and beans produced more and better yields when the "farmer" did it, but it still produces more than the critters take. Im happy with it!

 

[JFK52]

It goes on a plot by plot basis on my land. I have RR corn and ag beans no till planted. On mostly sod farrow land that I am trying to convert into food plots, I need to till it deep and get the soil exposed for planting. Once that has been done, I can then set the disc higher every year to disturb the soil less. On still other food plots that have been growing deer food for years I keep the disc at the bare minimum to get the seed bed I want for the particular planting I am doing that year.
So my answer would be it depends on the situation.

 

[mikmaze]

if I went to no till monsanto stock would go up with the ammount of gly I would need to buy ust to kill the aggressive weeds at my place. about half my plots get plowed and then hit with the disc, the other half just disc.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Like most others, it sounds like every situaiton is different. Use some of it all. Really like how the tiller performed this fall. But timely rains sure helped.

Turned out to be a good year to plant trees

 

[yoderjac]

While gly is a common herbicide for no-till or min-till, it is not the only one. Continued use of any herbicide can be problematic. I think rotation of herbicides is a good long-term strategy. I had an infestation of marestail recently. Application of gly made the problem much worse. Rather than the marestail competing with other weeds, it was free rom competition from anything susceptible to gly.

You are right though, nothing is without downside, including no-till.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Wanna add,

Biggest issue I deal with is probably residue management. Have 6 acres of corn every year ( Dads pheasant food ) only 7.2 acres total in plots. Combine the leftovers in the spring to help deal with volunteer corn. But I kinda like getting the trash off the top an put under to start the recycling process. Not ideal but have had continues corn for over ten years, with very few inputs needed. Don't grow bin breaking yields, but get around 100bu/a, enough to get the neighborhood critters through the worst of it.

 

[Boll Weevil]

The disk sat nearly idle for years until clearing/opening a new field a couple of years ago (which of course required some serious dirt work to get it ready to plant). Other than that it's only used for strip disking field edges to keep them grassy vs. woody...on an annual basis everything else is either no-till or TnM.