Plough or Scratch it drill ?

[nepia]

A pain for any cultivation; even without the ground ploughed drill coulters are going to take a bit of a bashing from those Down flints.  The neolithic flint quarries are there for a reason!

[Stubby]

I don't know for sure until it chits through but its probably only stubble turnips which will be cover crop for partridge then grazing for sheep in the spring then re drilled with a spring  crop .

[nepia]

So maybe next spring it'll be back to full thrash; plough, disc, drill.  But for crop growing the soil may demand that.

 

What does partridge taste like?  Not sure I've had it.  Is it as unremarkable as I find 'unusual' meats generally?  E.g. ostrich was OK but not amazing!

[Stubby]

2 hours ago, nepia said:

So maybe next spring it'll be back to full thrash; plough, disc, drill.  But for crop growing the soil may demand that.

 

What does partridge taste like?  Not sure I've had it.  Is it as unremarkable as I find 'unusual' meats generally?  E.g. ostrich was OK but not amazing!

Mmm. I like it . Its very like pheasant . kinda dry meat . I tend to cook all those game birds in the slow cooker now . Keeps them moist .

[Rough Hewn]

So maybe next spring it'll be back to full thrash; plough, disc, drill.  But for crop growing the soil may demand that.
 
What does partridge taste like?  Not sure I've had it.  Is it as unremarkable as I find 'unusual' meats generally?  E.g. ostrich was OK but not amazing!

They all taste like chicken to me.
As stubby says, it's a bit dry.
I like it with chopped bacon to add a bit of fat.
[emoji106]

[Ruskins Trees]

Plants need a healthy Soil Food Web to grow optimally.  Ploughing severely damages the Soil Food Web,  it turns  the ploughed soil upside  down, so the Soil Food Web near the surface is 'deep'  in the soil and the Soil Food Web at depth is now on top.

 

In addition the long strands of fungi are damaged. 

 

No till  farming, combined with organic matter rotting down, in an aerated soil, will create optimal growth, without the need for fertilisers.

 

No till farming, includes never leaving the soil bare, as it is detrimental to the Soil Food Web.

 

This video explains it much better than  myself

 

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Ruskins Trees
grammar

[nepia]

Thanks for that.  I have a passing interest in the subject as a good friend farms organically, for conservation and with minimal cultivation but all with permanent/semi-permanent grass/clover ley.  The only ploughing there is to around 10" every 5 years or so to re-sow with more of the same.

On the subject of nutrient manure from winter stored cattle is a resource and not a waste product.

[Conor Wright]

7 minutes ago, nepia said:

 

On the subject of nutrient manure from winter stored cattle is a resource and not a waste product.

... partially true. The nutritional value of liquid slurry is very low in comparison to composted dung on straw. The lack of texture in slurry aids soil compaction and lessens the ground's ability to soak away surface water, leading to the necessity to deep plough and subsoil.

On the other hand, composted dung, ie. With the straw at least partially broken down, adds to permeability and workability of soil as well as increasing fertility levels. This leads to both improved drainage in wet conditions and moisture retention in dry spells lessening the need to aggressively till the soil.

 

 

[nepia]

There's no slurry spreading done; no way would my mate run up and down his fields in winter except maybe after an unusually dry spell.

Dung spreading happens July-September, most of the material being dug straight from the housing in time for the next occupation.

I suspect this regime works as well as it does largely due to the climate in the north east tip of Scotland!