Plough or Scratch it drill ?

[Stubby]

Nobody seems to plough much now a days .  The farm next to me  ( now run by contractors , I don't know who owns it now ) harvested the oil seed rape last week and a couple of days later the scratchit drill went through the rape stubble and drilled another crop . I don't think they even sprayed off the regen .  I did ask my mate who farms next to this one , as last year he ploughed a field then disked it , and made a proper seed bed and drilled it with malting barley .  The contract farm just scratched it with malting barley . My mate said it depends on the final price per ton . He says you get a greater yeald per acre doing it the old way . If it reaches £120/ton you break even , above that its worth doing , the extra fuel and time covered by the extra money . Under 120/ton you are better off just scratching it . Just looking at the crop I could not tell any difference so I have to take his word on the yeald .  What do you arable guys think ? 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Stubby

[nepia]

I'm not an arable guy but if the soil structure can take minimal cultivation then the fewer times a fossil fuel burning machine runs up and down a field the better.  Also ploughing releases CO2 from the soil, a natural carbon sink.

[AHPP]

Sounds vaguely like a movement towards the very attractive sounding no-dig permaculture. There’s a lovely film called Back to Eden where some half hippy, half evangelist couple get fabulous garden yields from just spreading woodchip and very gently weeding (no tilling etc). Assuredly Radio 4 viewing. Not sure how well it translates into bigger scale agriculture?

[nepia]

I agree but not all soils by a long way are suitable for minimal cultivation.  Actually the ground near Stubby is probably clay predominant, in which case surface drainage could become an issue with little cultivation but in contrast deeper drainage may become the same with maximum cultivation due to machine compaction.

Hat off to the farmer going for the former route this year; I hope it works out for him because if it does he can look at huge machinery cost savings in the future as well as environmental benefit.

 

Soil is everything; look after it and it will reward you.

[Paul Cleaver]

Im not an arableculturalist  but I believe this method can be used until black grass becomes a problem

[nepia]

More to it than that I think; consider the drainage aspect for example.  But yes, weed control will be another issue.  In this case volunteer rape may be to the fore next spring; await the sprayer!

[Rough Hewn]

No dig gardening is fine unless you have knotweed, bindweed etc.

In Brittany, they plough the clay soil after grass, and scratch it after the arable crops.

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, nepia said:

I agree but not all soils by a long way are suitable for minimal cultivation.  Actually the ground near Stubby is probably clay predominant, in which case surface drainage could become an issue with little cultivation but in contrast deeper drainage may become the same with maximum cultivation due to machine compaction.

Hat off to the farmer going for the former route this year; I hope it works out for him because if it does he can look at huge machinery cost savings in the future as well as environmental benefit.

 

Soil is everything; look after it and it will reward you.

Its Chalk here on the downs .

[nepia]

...often associated with clay and flint.  No clay?

 

I know parts of the Downs well but east from you - Eastbourne area.  Plenty of horrible heavy clay and flint overlying the chalk round there.

Edited August 9, 2019 by nepia

[Stubby]

5 minutes ago, nepia said:

...often associated with clay and flint.  No clay?

 

I know parts of the Downs well but east from you - Eastbourne area.  Plenty of horrible heavy clay and flint overlying the chalk round there.

Yep there are flits a plenty . More so on the lower slopes . And yep clay . . If you walk along " Preston Down "  A grass grazing for sheep ) between Lavant and West Dean , bits of flint and chalk come to the surface through the grass . Also the Badgers excavate a lot of chalk .

Edited August 9, 2019 by Stubby