How's the plowing where you are?

mkirsch · May 12, 2011

It's rained practically every day here in WNY, up to last Friday.

Even now with almost a week with no rain, I was expecting the ground to be nice and mellow, and the wet spots to be... Wet.

Talked to Dad last night and he's been having a tough time plowing. He says it's like concrete out there. Burned up a set of points on the plow in 15 acres. There are spots where he'll look back and the plow is just scraping across the top of the ground. This is a big heavy 5-16 IH 720 plow. If he tries to force it in, all 5 bottoms trip...

So much for my grandiose ideas of playing with my collection of trailer plows again this spring... They won't even penetrate. Bummer.

Last Sunday there was still water standing in the ruts! At the Elba plow day, it was sketchy going even on the dry ground.

Ironically, it's DRY out there, too dry to plow already!

How's it where you are?

Greenday · May 12, 2011

Just curious why you would be plowing this time of year? Thanks, Dave

mkirsch · May 12, 2011

Very few around here plow in the fall. Usually, it's too wet. It does dry out in November, but the next day it starts snowing!

If you can get on the fields to plow in April, it's a DRY year. This year it rained 25 out of 30 days in April. It just stopped last Friday.

When else are we going to plow?

Fred Martin · May 12, 2011

It would be very nice to plow here in southern Ohio...if I had a water buffalo and was planting rice. ohfred

NY 986 · May 12, 2011

Last Sunday was the first day back in the fields after the rainy spell. I used the field cultivator to peel off the top 4" of soil as it was too wet to go deeper as in using the soil saver. Did 85 acres and the depth was very consistent and the soil pulled up pretty fine.
On Monday it got too hard for the field cultivator and the chisel was bringing up soil much too lumpy to let lay to dry. So we hooked up the offset disk and went to work on the tighter ground. Usually as long as your are making dust you are not creating compaction. The pass we make prior to planting will go down to any depth desired whether it has been previously tilled.
That's the key on these soils is to work it in layers so as to avoid compaction and also to bring up fine soil. The neighbor always waits till the soil is dry enough to plow at regular depth and a year like this means waiting till the middle of June. He takes a big yield hit doing it like that.

onefarmer · May 12, 2011

I plowed down two corn fields (midMich) and it was hard plowing. Nothing like a wet rainy spring to beat down the ground.

Earl-IL · May 12, 2011

I live in central Illinois where they have been no-tilling for 10 plus years. We have been moldboard plowing some of this ground with our antique tractors & plows. Yes it is very hard & tough going. The plows that work the best are the plows with perfect blacksmith type shares with 3/16 -- 1/4 in. true suck, with the point in the 10.5 - 11.5 range in length. The IHC plows with new spear points (Plow Chief) work very good if the plow tail wheel is set correctly.The plows with throw away shares ,seem to have problems unless they use the (Deep Suck Rock Shares) Come to Rantoul,Illinois to our Half Century Progress Show in August 25-28-2011 David Wolfe will be set up in the John Deere Legends tent along with Tyler Buchheit. David has written several books & DVD on plows & the setting of plows. Tyler is producing the old style notched coulter.Tyler also writes for the Green Magazine.There will be a lot of field operations. Picking Corn, combining beans , discing & plowing. Come and join us for a fun time.Bring your tractor and plow. Earl

rrlund · May 12, 2011

Pretty decent. I plowed 30 acres of alfalfa sod yesterday and the day before. Got through some spots that are quite wet. Wanted to get those spots disced before it rained again,but we got an unexpected inch overnight. I'm afraid the plow sole is gonna hold water for a long time and I'll have one heck of a mess.
I don't know why it is,if you can just get over plowed ground with a disc,even before a rain,it seems like it dries out a lot faster?

msb · May 12, 2011

Moldboard plowing is a dirty word around here.Its all either fall chiseled or no-tilled.22 years of no-till after going cold turkey. NO regrets.

RGMartin · May 12, 2011

Western PA...Depending on what field, or part of a given field you are in here, it varies from ideal, to somewhat sticky, to geese swimming in it and anywhere in between.

No problem getting the plows in the ground. Not spinning the tractor in to the axles is a different matter.

john d · May 12, 2011

I haven't seen a field plowed in this part of Indiana in 10-15 years, at least. Everything is no-till or very minimum tillage.
It's been too wet for field work around here until yesterday. Lots of corn going in the ground today.
I did, however, plow my garden yesterday evening. That might be the only moldboard plowing within several miles of here this spring. Total area is nearly the size of a football field. Used the Farmall M with a 3-16 mounted plow about 7" deep in third gear. Dirt turned over nicely, and I planted sweetcorn in most of that space this evening.

David G · May 13, 2011

We are very dry in eastern iowa.

How's the plowing where you are?

mkirsch

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Greenday

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mkirsch

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Fred Martin

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NY 986

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onefarmer

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Earl-IL

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rrlund

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msb

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RGMartin

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john d

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David G

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