ZERO TILL MACHINERY |
Gordon McPhee
Let's do it right today and do it better tomorrow. The objective of the equipment is to do the right job whether it is too wet or too dry, the crop heavy or light, with a reason-able cost. It is also nice if the equipment stays together and requires little maintenance. While we are at it let's do a good enough job to get a better yield than the neighbors.
I will not be talking color or make of equipment, but a system approach to putting it all together to make sure you can get some net income.
SWATHING OR STRAIGHT CUT HEADER
Consider a simple, accurate gauge for stubble height on your swather or combine. How you decide on stubble height will depend on drill design; disk or hoe clearance and the amount of snow you want to trap.
COMBINE
It is very important to spread that straw and chaff evenly, making sure that next morning you can't tell which direction you combined. Harrow only if you must. Have the straw length such that it will settle down through the stubble onto the ground.
With a chopper and fins you can probably go to 20-24~ ft. width whereas above that you may need a more sophisticated method. If you are baling the straw off, don't forget the chaff. The objective is to have even straw spread in all parts of the field to minimize any toxic effects of last year's residue and to obtain even soil moisture to help the drill do that better job and get on the field early.
DRILL
In my opinion, the seeding operation is one of the most important operations we do. However, one of the major mistakes we make is that we do the whole field the same. In many cases we have little side-by-side comparison to tell if we should get a 90% plus mark or a 50% mark for the seeding operation.
At times I really wonder why we put that seed and plant under so much stress early in its life. In some cases we kill 10-20-30% of the plants before they get above the ground; those who do make it may wish they were dead.
The needs of the seed are oxygen, moisture and heat in the right amounts for good germination and healthy plants.
Regarding seed placement; all the seeds must be the same depth and placed into moisture. Don't put straw and chaff in with the seed. This increases disease incidence. All the seeds should be laid on undisturbed soil which can act as a wick and draw moisture from under the seed. Before starting to seed, put the drill on a level concrete pad to make sure it has exactly the same depth on all openers.
Measure the depth of seeding after your packing method. If you are going to harrow after seeding, just try a little bit of the field, by harvest you may be glad you didn't harrow more.
If the seed is placed too shallow, e.g. wheat, you may limit the stooling ability of that crop. Seedlings that are too deep may result in weak plants and less yield potential. If Zero-Tilling, don't listen to the conventional-till neighbors who, having dried out his soil by cultivation, then has to seed 4-5" deep to get moisture.
There are two basic types of soils: One that after packing the moisture comes right up to the surface by next morning. The second are soils that pack and moisture doesn't come back up to the disturbed area. Watch the depth on sandy soils especially after packing in early spring when soils are cool. We generally seed 1 1/4" - 1 1/2" for wheat and 1 - 1 1/4" after packing, for smaller seeds. I would urge you to try different depths in a number of fields over several years to get guidelines for your situation. If there is some soil disturbance, that's okay; the important point is to get that 101% germination.
Pack enough. As a guideline, if you get better germination and growth on headlands and where you travel a second time, it may be you are not packing enough with your present equipment. When digging up the seed to check on depth, it should be firm enough that you use a screwdriver or knife to dig in the soil. This probably means in the neighborhood of 60-70 lbs. per inch of width of packer wheel (on the basis of a 20" diameter wheel)
If you are in an area that is quite dry most of the time, probably a Deep V steel packer is good. In the wetter areas with heavy, hard rains a flatter rubber wheel may be the answer to give less soil movement into the trench and avoid changing the Seed depth after a heavy rain. These will also clean a little better when very wet.
FERTILIZER
For fertilizer efficiency and minimizing weed growth, side banding or paired row at the time of seeding looks good. Consider though, whether this delays seeding enough to affect yields.
Fall application in a band allowing slot to heal over winter is an option in the moister areas. In the drier areas check this out before doing the whole farm. Forget about spreading N on top in fall and do so in spring only if you get enough rain, immediately after, to wash the fertilizer through the top 1-2" of soil which will have a high organic matter content. Place it under the seed only if your equipment and soil type will allow you to return the soil under the seed to the same density and condition as it was before disturbing.
SPRAYER
Pick one that will travel at a good forward speed with a reasonable width. Forget anything else and look at boom wheels, with springs and shocks. It is important to use a foam marker and/or some method of tram lining. Set up for night spraying: Good headlights and sidelights on the top of the cab work well.
Consider some type of hood or deflector to allow you to spray in some wind. Get a wind gauge so you know wind speed.
If you are going to use corrosive substances such as Ammonium Sulfate have your sprayer set up to deal with it. Also have pump and fire nozzle on the nurse tank for washing the sprayer, as well as a garden hose and nozzle for cleaning, rinsing and washing at fill up time. Design for fast fill ups without mistakes in amounts.
Keep the operator clean.
CONCLUSION
In closing I have two points I would like to emphasize:
Presented to Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association Winnipeg Workshop, January 24, 1989.
by: Gordon McPhee Box 158 Dauphin, Manitoba
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