farming advice

Dan-IA · May 29, 2008

I have a couple quick questions for the farmers on here:

1. I just planted a couple 'test plots' of 1acre each that is pure no-till to roundup-ready soybeans. The planter was running down the corn stalks from last fall. Will it grow? (With projects $8/gal diesel, we may end up doing it all this way next year.)

2. Dad says he knows where a lot of the tile on this farm is, but he admits to not knowing anything about the field on the other side of the creek they want to clean. Is there another way, other than weeks on foot with a tile probe, to find 'em? I heard somebody mention ground-penetrating radar (sounds expensive) and NRCS (I think I'd like to still plant next year, thanks!), but I was wondering if anyone else has tried to witch out buried tile this way.

Gonna go unplug the computer again, the tornados are past but the lightning is jumping again and the radar map still doesn't look good!

Thanks!

billonthefarm · May 29, 2008

Beans will grow in this mess. This year it has been cool enough to make them pretty slow coming but they are going to make it. I have no idea about finding tile. Around here every field has tile.
bill

Anonymous-0 · May 29, 2008

about finding the tile i have a way that is maby 50% right. you take 2 pieces pieces of #9 wire or smaller fencing wire works to. make them about 14 - 16" long and bend a 90 degree angle about 5" in from one end on each wire. now holding them loosely about a foot apart at the same level start walking across where you believe there is tile. when they pull themselves together that is where a tile is.

there is no guarantee with this method. i have had it as close as 5 ft to the tile and i have had them cross where there is no tile. i have no explanation as to why this works but we try them if we are having trouble locating the lines with the back hoe i learned this from my 70 somthing neighbor and i dont know where he got it.

stevejd4000 · May 29, 2008

yes beans will grow in that..

Been there and Done that.

Bill in IL · May 29, 2008

You would be amazed to see the weed covered fields that had been sprayed then no-till planted... You could not even see the ground. Your beans will be fine but will look like trash for the first month. Expect to take a hit on your yield especially in corn.

Go witch for the tile like Greg was saying. It works for anything buried so it can find electric lines and tile and even things you are not looking for. Try it in the yard on something you know where it is.

Anonymous-0 · May 29, 2008

Here on the plains, we prefer to plant in to crop residue (no-till). Get gigantic yield bumps with no-till and don't lose much needed organic matter and soil. Beans will do great in this, just make sure to get plenty of seed/soil contact.

Joe in IN · May 29, 2008

I do not belive in witchcraft, voodoo, ghosts or superstitions......

BUT... this does work. I used a clothes hanger. Unwound it, cut off bent parts, cut in half bent about 5 inches for a handle and went walking.

The darned thing just moves in your hand... I marked each spot, even closing my eyes and going on feel.....allmarks in a perfect staright line.....Had to be it right?

I was building a house and had to connect a perimeter drain. Septic guy came out told me he might be a while finding the tile 5 feet down... I said you won't be 5 minutes(I had confidence at this point since my marks lined up.) He of course mocked me. The wires crossed he dug with his backhoe and there is was I was no more than 2 feet off.

It's the darnest thing. This was a farm field I had just bought, didn't know the land at all, only direction I had was it is somehwere on this area(about 4 acres worth).... Amazed me, I swear by it now....

Anonymous-0 · May 30, 2008

No Till works in some areas and soil types better than others.Im in Missouri,and that only works just so long before beans start getting shorter every year.The soil gets bound up,beat down and hard.Id say you can get by 2 or 3 years,but you had better turn something under on it once in awhile.Im not farming much anymore,but I plow it every other year.Last year it turned off dry like 9 out of 10 summers do here,and my crops had enough reserve moisture in the soil once the beans got the ground shaded they made it through while the neighbors no till beans shriveled to about half knee high and died.There is mostly no till around here anymore,but it still takes some deep tillage once in awhile and good rotations to raise a crop.

Anonymous-0 · May 30, 2008

On finding the tile: Several years ago a local farmer told me they hired a man with an infrared camera to fly over the farm and take pictures. Reason you can see where each tile is. Don't know all the details but he felt it was a small cost to find out what tile were in the farm. 3 year rotation here corn beans & wheat. Rip up the wheat stubble,plant corn in it, plant beans in corn stalks put the beans back to wheat.

RickL · May 30, 2008

yes you will be fine as long as you get the slot closed and seed covered. What part of the farm I did not rent out I still notill. Haven't turned soil probably at least ten years now and still doing 50 bushel beans on normal year. Just make sure you get them covered and uniform depth you will be fine. I setup alot of planters nowdays that all just go into fields and plant. 85% or so I would saya in my area is just puled into field and drop the planter or drill and plant me included. Corn thats a different subject you need to be alot more precise on evrything for that crop.

Eric in IL · May 30, 2008

Where is the mess? That looks beautiful through my eyeballs!

John (C-IL) · May 30, 2008

Nice job Bill, if we ever get to plant I will take a picture of mine. Notil soybeans in corn stalks is a nobrainer.

noncompos · May 30, 2008

On using aerials to locate the tile: check with your county assessor--many states have had aerial photo programs for years, and County Assessors use them in their assessment work.
Your assessor may well have a couple sets or more (black and white) shot over the years. They"re not shot or intended to disclose underground stuff, but sometimes things underground will subtly alter the color or look of the vegetation/crops above, and can be recognized if you know what"s supposed to be there. And it"s free (except for the gas to drive to the County Seat!!). The witching is free. too. Good luck.

OliverGuy · May 30, 2008

No till beans isn't a problem. One thing that helped us is our Case combine that has the cutters on the stalk rolls. Wow that helps on getting them to break down some more on their own over winter. On the tile, I can see most of mine on the Google aerial maps. I think our part of the US happened to be photographed in early spring and you can see the drier areas over the tile real easy. Check yours out. Of course this isn't exact, but it might help to see if anything is there.

Dan-IA · May 30, 2008

That looks clean compared to mine...

gordy from Iowa · May 30, 2008

Yup Too Far, Gotta get some oxygen in that ground once in awhile. And with notil, the damn earth worms will be so plentiful that they do a lot of damage. I too tried notil ONE year and it didn't work at all. I also like to plow my ground back up the hill after it ends up at the bottom. You just go around in backward circles and it all ends up where it started. The trash from notil will get so deep that it needs to be burned off. Ground gets hard, stays cold til July, yields go to He!! Bad situation.

farming advice

Dan-IA

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Bill in IL

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Anonymous-0

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Joe in IN

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Anonymous-0

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Eric in IL

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