In established sod, such as the field that FarmerZeb is plowing, I would have taken the vegetation down with herbicide, (like Roundup, or, if it's all broadleaf, 2,4-D) disced it and planted soybeans. I do this with either a Great Plains no-til drill or, if I decide it would be better to apply liquid fertilizer, with a JD conservation planter. Deeper tillage will be automatic as the roots of the previous crop decompose. Subsequent tillage following the harvest of the soybean crop will be with a deep conservation ripper with no-til shanks and points and left until spring at which time the field cultivator will be utilzed just before planting corn with just one pass. In answer to your question as to how to pull a field cultivator in established sod, I haven't tried it but I do remember breaking up sod with an 8' JD quack digger many years ago. The trick is to use narrow sharp points and to just "hen scratch it" the first time or two and then go deeper. The field cultivators now days have ample trash clearance and with sharp narrow points, it would probably be very do able. But, with such tools as roundup and no-til planters and drills there is no need to do that. Also, with the many tillage choices available to the farmer today it blows my mind to see anyone moldboard plowing anymore. Many of the Amish farms I drive by don't even employ it. They just hire their neighbors with tractors and chisel plows. Getting back to Farmer Zeb's field, he has taken what appears to be a nice smooth field and made a total mess of it. Discing, several times, with a cultipacker behind, might get it back into some semblence of order but think of the time, fuel, wear and tear, etc. You'll never convince me that moldboard plowing has any place on a modern farm. OK as a demonstration, like threshing, or chopping wood, or hand pumping water, or lighting lanterns or hand milking or using horses, etc.
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Today's Featured Article - Earthmaster Project Progress Just a little update on my Earthmaster......it's back from the dead! I pulled the head, and soaked the stuck valves with mystery oil overnight, re-installed the head, and bingo, the compression returned. But alas, my carb foiled me again, it would fire a second then flood out. After numerous dead ends for a replacement carb, I went to work fixing mine.I soldered new floats on the float arm, they came from an old motorcycle carb, replaced the packing on the throttle shaft with o-rings, cut new ga
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