refer to hows the plowing

The question was asked earlier why plow this time of year. Here in NE the plowing is usually done in the spring, however the reason that I heard fall plowing is done is that the soil is heavier and over the winter it "melts" down and dries out easier for planting. Is this true or what other reasons have you heard? Just curious

I should have said that plowing now is almost unheard of here as everything seems to be no till, and you almost would have to pay someone to take a plow(unless it is an antique).

In our heavy soils here in NW Iowa, fall plowing does indeed see the clods melt from the repeted freezing/thawing during the winter. Fall plowing is loose and mellow in the spring where spring plowing, or chiseling, turns into a bunch of hard clods that never do mellow out. Jim

A poor fall plowing job always beats spring plowing. Around here at least. Jim

you almost would have to pay someone to take a plow

Click to expand...

How many plows do you have and what are you paying? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Fall plowing does "melt" the clay over winter, and fall chiseling or ripping also takes advantage of freeze/thaw cycles to "heal" the soil.

We do very little fall plowing, but do plow everything except wheat ground, either with a moldboard or chisel. All dirt can blow or wash away, and even though we don't have highly erodible ground and usually get a ton of snow (thanks, Lake Michigan) there isn't always good cover. We did a little moldboard plowing about 5 years ago in the fall, and took the coverboards and coulters off to leave some trash on top. It worked well.

Guys who chiseled clay last fall here have very mellow ground this spring. It's very dry on top, but very wet under the top couple of inches. Time will tell, but I think some are erasing most of the good they did last fall trying to get across it earlier this spring.

I can count on one hand people I know who moldboard plow anything other than gardens within 5 miles any direction. There is some no-till right in our neighborhood, but not much. The heavy clay here doesn't warm up unless you open it up.

A certain TV host was preaching the other day during his commentary portion of an ag show that "plow" a dirty four letter word, never to be spoken. That may be true in his neighborhood. He must not realize his show is syndicated nationally, or maybe the teleprompter didn't tell him. No-till doesn't always work well everywhere and for every situation.

AG

Two issues came up here, your question about 'fall plowing', yes freezing furrows will help thick soil 'break up', making the spring easier, re-plowing or just discing a few rounds insted of a long hard fight. The furrows will also trap rain and snow if the field is usually too dry for some reason. I have a UMass school of ag extension book from 1871... they wanted people to plow in mid winter "to kill the evil worms that distroy crops'. Which brings up the no till comments. No till requires lots of expensive and toxic chemicals, weedkillers etc. As agribiz, or potential dust bowl area, it is worth the no till route, for smaller ops back east, to make any extra pennies, or a much better market, you want to keep trying for certified organic, whether animals or produce, and no till is a no go. In the 70's and 80's I knew lots of dairy people that wanted to try notill, so hired agway or some outfit to come in and do it, so's they didnt' have to buy the new equipment until convinced. No one I knew went over to it. If they stayed in business, and fed corn, they plowed. Sometimes there are more expensive things than diesel fuel...