What Would You Do?

The trouble with buying farm ground is that you really don't know what you have ‘til you sink a shank in the ground firsthand.

Field in question (now wheat stubble) needs attention; it has looked Nitrogen deficient all year. My original plan was to just disc the fire out of it this fall and drop in some alfalfa along with a healthy and liberal dose of fertilizer.

When walking in adjoining farms on three sides, also in wheat stubble, the soil is firm, but is still “loose” soil, for a lack of a better way of describing it. These farmers use chisels in their ground prep.

Yesterday, I take a little stroll out thru my wheat stubble just to make sure there is not any extra straw that is gonna deal me fits and the ground feels like I’m walking on cement. I’m wondering if I have some compaction going on or is it just the lack of humus.

Don’t know for sure, but I suspect that all my field has ever seen is a spring tooth harrow and the drill for a large number of years. Really wondering what the best course of action would be here to get the soil built back up in a hurry??

Think I ought to stay with the disc idea and the alfalfa? If so, it appears to me that it is going to take a double discing at the very least to get this soil loosened up. I really don’t want to go to a deep tillage if at all possible prior to the alfalfa.

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas,

Allan

Why not? You just told us that your neighbor (3 neighbors) was (were) doing it with his (their)chisel(s) and you obviously liked it.

Around here the black clay has no memory. You have to run the chisel every year to get moisture absorption and later the velvet soil you want on top to allow the water to stay below so stuff will grow when it is dry like now. So it's chisel, disc, disc, in the spring cultivator sweeps or disc and that's what it takes.

The previous owner just left you a bag of worms cause he was too lazy to do it right. Now you have to do it my man.....unless you want more of the same and obviously you don't or you wouldn't be diddling us to give you a shove to do what you know needs to be done anyway..... right bro?

Do it!

Mark

I have another 115 acres of old hay ground/grass sod to crawl thru and was hoping that I wouldn't have to plow this 70 acres too.

I think I'm gonna try the disc route first. If I can just get it loosened up enough for that baby alfalfa, I'd be happy with letting the roots loosen 'er up by doin' their thing.

Allan

If ya see water standing in a field here, you are either drunk or in the wrong state. Just doesn't happen. :>)

I confess, been too many years. What's neutral? 6.5-6.8 something like that? All I do know is that every soil test you get back, the PH is perfect. Lime just is not a thing that we have to do here.

Allan