Advantages of zero till

[Guest]

we rented another quarter that has not been zero tilled . I can't believe how hard the ground is ! last fall nh3 knifes wouldn't go in more than about 3". soil test shows almost zero N , organic is low . it easy to forget after fighting straw on a few wet years how much 30 years of zero till has improved our land . it's true zero till brings some problems with disease and bugs , but all in all , I would take the zero till any day . no way that you could seed this gumbo on the wet side like we did with our land all through the wet cycle . it's really getting dry here and you still see people burning straw ....

[freewheat]

I agree, and I am in the very wettest of the wet areas.

[farmaholic]

Well said caseih. This dirt has been abused for nearly a century, about time it gets the respect it deserves. Soil seems mallower compared to what ever I can remember. I even hate burning flax straw.

[riders2010]

Well last year peas seeded on stubble not burned
Yielded17 bushels less disease nightmare
If it's dry you ll be right so will I on half my acres but if it ends up wet I ll still be half right. I doubt these fields covered in straw will be right. So I ll tell you the right answer in fall and many guys that didn't burn are reseeding today

[seabass]

Absolutely none where I farm.

[sumdumguy]

It seems to me that straw is a mixed blessing. Possibly the land lacking tilth is land that was farmed 1/2and1/2. We continuous cropped with discers since 1980. When we compare the two methods, there a couple of advantages to each, but also a downside. The discer weeded, seeded and fed in one pass, turned the straw under and covered it with dirt, which we usually harrowed and packed and the soil was sealed. Now the furrow is left rather open, the standing straw acts as a wick to draw out the moisture in the top 4 inches and the straw harbours disease and insects because standing straw takes so long to break down as in cutworms in the straw rows. The ease filling! changing over and the ability to farm many types of terrain is a plus for air seeders, but there is a cost in higher power tractors, expensive seeders to get the right ones and spring burn-off (chemical usage).

I still remember some memorable discer crops like 80 bushel Glenlea, 50 bushel Estons and 50 bushel Canaryseed. I am not saying either way but just saying compare objectively. I know air seeders have turned some non-arable land to viable farmland and that is important to some of you and air seeders are pretty maneuverable.

[farmaholic]

.....moist dark brown soil zone with eroded knolls. A mix of lighter to a clay base but i don't have the luxury of a foot of rich black topsoil. I need to return as much crop residue back into the soil as possible. Yea sometimes in places I curse it but it needs it. The prairies is a wide expanse of diversity....each should manage their patch as they see fit.

[fjlip]

One pass fall fertilizing and seeding after a heavy harrow in spring works great in our area. Very obvious this spring when early fields were sticky wet, turned to dried lumps.
Biggest plus was continuous cropping. Fallow kills soil/organic matter. Mixing the straw into top 2" helps the moisture infiltration. Increases N availability, IMO.

[farmaholic]

Agreed SDG, modern farming methods have narrowed the gap between the "marginal" and better land. It will never be equal but it has made a difference for the better here.

What I find ironic is how people who farm in a "better" area couldn't see themselves farming poorer land yet those who do are satisfied with it and in some cases the kids will farm it too. I guess home is always home and familiarity might breed comtentment. I have travelled around and have seen better, and worse, than what I farm. For heavens sakes, it can change dramically within a few miles.

[fjlip]

Agree SDG, farmaholic, stubble DOES wick out soil moisture especially FLAX stubble. For such a short crop, fields are always drier. And yes when I drive by very rolling hilly fields I say that would make me quit asap. Same with 100's of potholes. As you say we get comfortable with the familiar.

[farmaholic]

Off topic, derail..... seems grassfarmer and klause have shallow roots ;-)

[SASKFARMER3]

We have been direct seeding since 1981 last fall was the first year we high speed disced end to end on a 1/3 of our acres these fields this year are first up and clean. Spring tilled are not as clean. We also did like the past when this land had no farmers Burnt fields black end to end. Peas are the nicest crop in the 4 RMS I'm in. Canola is also up on these fields and going strong no Flee beetle pressure either.
Fall will tell the story but right now Direct seeding has a place we just after years of to much water need to readjust how we farm. Fire has a place so does Tillage from time to time.
We are in the Black soil zone on clay to clay loam and extremely wet.

[Guest]

no , I understand why you have to burn occasionally , just can't understand why some people are burning here as dry as we are and I cant believe how hard this new quarter is ! the 550 # trips were tripping all the time trying to go 2 or 3 inches deep . we farm about a third of our land in real light white clay and the rest in heavy black . the zero till advantage was very obvious in the light land immediately . obviously it's a real advantage in the heavy black also . sure hope we don't lose our roundup advantage . we are also knifing NH3 in a lot of it in the fall.

[farmaholic]

The first place we will lose our glyphosate advantage is preharvest. Should be no reason to lose it for early incrop weed control or preseeding.

I am never so steadfast in my opinion that I would say there is never a time to till. Huge difference between what was done years ago and today. Tilling and continuous cropping is still superior to tilling "summerfallow". JMO

[Guest]

I was thinking of weeds becoming tolerant , is anyone having problems with this yet ?