ok lets start at the beginning,first of all plowing, discing ,chiseling, rototilling, whatever you do do including walking on soil will cause compaction.ever seen a trail around a fence where dogs walk?the reason a horse causes more compaction is because its weight is distributed over a smaller area,think of it this way,say you have a clydsdale horse that weighs close to 1500 lbs,and a tractor that weighs the same with wide tires,the tractor tires will compact less because more area is on ground,just like a crawler tractor of the same weight will compact even less than a tractor on rubber(this is why lots of folks use crawlers as orchard tractors).the horse will have less impact though because the compaction is in a much less area.if your tractor is really compacting the soil in furrow you may be plowing too wet.when your plowing with a horse he/they are not in furrow,their on unbroken ground and plow will break up any compaction caused, at least by the horse,un like a tractor.a plow causes hard pan because the PULL forces them into ground until their level.when this happens they compress the soil underneath.this is hardpan.it becomes worse over time every time you plow,a disc causes it because of weight,a chisel or springtooth will cause it also,it operates the same as a plow.the difference is its less of an area under sweeps/points so the force is more concentrated but its in a much smaller area while a plow will compact over an entire field.when you get hardpan what happens is water will stand in your field just as it will in a clay pot.to drain a clay pot you put a hole in bttm.to drain a field with hardpan you use a subsoiler/ripper that lifts hardpan and soil letting water run through.chisel/springtooth does cause hardpan,believe it or not even rain does,but its much less of an area because points are narrow.on your clay,what you need to do is add organic material,or sand,to lessen compaction.the grains of a clay soil are flat,they lay down just like leaves do and wont allow water to run into soil because they are tightly stacked together.this also allows them to dry faster because the difference between soil temps and air temps cause water to migrate(convection) from below to surface.believe it or not cultivating does NOT dry the ground!except for right at the surface, in fact it conserves moisture since grains of soils that are not stuck together do not wick moisture to the surface,,adding organics,or sand will hold the grains apart and allows water to migrate down into soil easier also allowing roots to grow.believe it or not plants dont grow IN the ground,they grow in the areas between the grains of dirt.depending on what you raise,say wheat,dont bale your straw, instead after combining plow it under.same thing with corn run over the stalks with a brush hog or stalk cutter(you do know this was why a rotary mower was originally made dont you ,not for mowing fields?)and turn them down.it will make a huge difference in your fields in a very short time.if you cannot do this,say your cutting your corn for ensilage ,tiling OR french drains in a field will help drain standing water and let them dry.i hope this helps !
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Today's Featured Article - Tuning-Up Your Tractor: Plugs & Compression Testing - by Curtis Von Fange. The engine seems to run rough. In the exhaust you can hear an occasion 'poofing' sound like somethings not firing on all cylinders. Under loaded conditions the tractor seems to lack power and it belches black smoke out of the exhaust. For some reason it just doesn't want to start up without cranking and cranking the starter. All these conditions can be signals that your unit is in need of a tune up. Ok, so what is involved in a tune up? You say, swap plugs and file the points....now tha
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