No-Till Potatoes

Niels · Apr 30, 2015

To many cereal growers talking potatoes here.

@warksfarmer has some very fair points.

@David_A Forming beds in the autumn and drilling a cover onto them is already done in many places. Plenty of beds pre-ridged in the autumn and winter as well in the UK but I suspect mainly to spread the work load as the East Anglian sand doesn't need it.

warksfarmer · Apr 30, 2015

Darren said:
You don't need soil on the Web. You need a well set up machine. Clod, stone on the Web will bruise the tuber. Tubers on a Web are fine aslong as there's no big drops involved

This is incorrect ........... lost count the amount of times the harvester ends up at 10-12km/h just to keep soil on the web to 'protect' the potatoes. No soil means bouncing, rolling around potatoes which = bruising which then affects the end price.

The idea of potato harvesting is fill the web full but get rid of the soil at the last minute and then take as little soil back to the yard as possible.

And as said having to run an irrigator in front of the harvester is an expensive job but its the only way to avoid bruising in very dry conditions.

I await somebody on here into No Till that grows a proper No Till crop of potatoes not ruining their soils by no moving it and manages to get it accepted into the likes of Walkers ........... Good luck that person because its impossible unless you go and hand pick them from a false straw bed sat above your precious untouched soil.

warksfarmer · Apr 30, 2015

Niels said:
To many cereal growers talking potatoes here. @warksfarmer has some very fair points.

@David_A Forming beds in the autumn and drilling a cover onto them is already done in many places. Plenty of beds pre-ridged in the autumn and winter as well in the UK but I suspect mainly to spread the work load as the East Anglian sand doesn't need it.

I worked for a Marks and Spencer potato grower ........ now that was eye opening !! It was a few years ago but when you have a fields man from M & S in the cab with you then your mind is concentrated and even today watching the self propelled machines flying along to keep soil on the webs, its all about bruising. A deduction for frying colour becomes irrelevant if your getting rejected loads due to bruising.

Lincs Lass · Apr 30, 2015

+1 ,,the reeki harvester I drove needed as much soil on the digger web as it would carry,,second web would loose some and the dolman rollers got rid of the rest,

merino · Apr 30, 2015

Old John said:
Perhaps you could use whatever they use to pick up windrowed onions?
These pick up small, round and delicate things laying on the surface of the soil, not unlike the potatoes would be after the straw covering is removed.
Just a thought.

I'm intrigued, it looks like it'd work.

Honest john · Apr 30, 2015

Is it April 1st ?

choochter · Apr 30, 2015

@martian I would consider letting this bespoke machine leave the farm for a while if it could be of assistance to you come harvest time...

martian · Apr 30, 2015

Brilliant. I'll start halter training one of the bigger cows...

Drillman · May 1, 2015

warksfarmer said:
I worked for a Marks and Spencer potato grower ........ now that was eye opening !! It was a few years ago but when you have a fields man from M & S in the cab with you then your mind is concentrated and even today watching the self propelled machines flying along to keep soil on the webs, its all about bruising. A deduction for frying colour becomes irrelevant if your getting rejected loads due to bruising.

It's not impossible it's just that no one has thought of it yet. After all 100 years ago if someone had suggested sticking a cab and cutter bar on a threshing machine then driving up and down a field he would have been laughed at.

Niels · May 4, 2015

merino said:
I'm intrigued, it looks like it'd work.

There is a similar system working in the US: Airsep. Now owned by Grimme and marketed (on a limited base) in Europe as well. Mainly for sorting stones out though.

Old John · May 4, 2015

merino said:
I'm intrigued, it looks like it'd work.

QED

Stoosh · May 4, 2015

Onions don't bruise/damage as easily as potatoes.

martian · May 27, 2015

Update...where the straw isn't particularly deep and dense, the seed potatoes are still a bit dry and haven't moved very far, here's a couple that seem to be making a bit of effort to break cover:

It's not that warm under all that straw. To give you some idea of scale, that's not a Great Dane on the right

Dockers · May 27, 2015

Still looking for a life then !
PS. Sold the 750a now, just have the seed hawk. Blame Bill Crabtree !

martian · May 27, 2015

Dockers said:
Still looking for a life then !
PS. Sold the 750a now, just have the seed hawk. Blame Bill Crabtree !

Hang on, I must have dropped off when he was telling us to flog the 750a s. What's the story here?

Jim Bullock · May 27, 2015

martian said:
Update...where the straw isn't particularly deep and dense, the seed potatoes are still a bit dry and haven't moved very far, here's a couple that seem to be making a bit of effort to break cover:View attachment 158052
It's not that warm under all that straw. To give you some idea of scale, that's not a Great Dane on the right

John is it (he by the look on his face) a Norfolk?
Forget the potatoes...they are not an indigenous crop to Europe. I think the nearest anybody can get to no-till potatoes is planting them into an over-wintered cover crop they have done it in Germany and Switzerland.. Potatoes and OSR fall into the same category IMO. .best avoided.

martian · May 27, 2015

Jim Bullock said:
John is it (he by the look on his face) a Norfolk?
Forget the potatoes...they are not an indigenous crop to Europe. I think the nearest anybody can get to no-till potatoes is planting them into an over-wintered cover crop they have done it in Germany and Switzerland.. Potatoes and OSR fall into the same category IMO. .best avoided.

She is a Border/Lakeland cross allegedly, but there's a few other bits in there as well. Runt of the litter and very small.
Agree with you about spuds, I've no desire to visit that particular circle of hell, but love the idea of trying to grow them no-till.

Pedders · May 28, 2015

Dockers said:
Still looking for a life then !
PS. Sold the 750a now, just have the seed hawk. Blame Bill Crabtree !

what's the thinking behind that ? if you don't mind the question .....

HAM135 · May 28, 2015

Why bother with no till spuds,u could buy 000's tons of good spuds now for £5/ton,stick them in a cold store and cross your fingers,much less work and no more of a gamble.

Simon Chiles · May 28, 2015

martian said:
Hang on, I must have dropped off when he was telling us to flog the 750a s.

Not again.

No-Till Potatoes

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

DD Moderator

Member

Member

Member

Member

DD Moderator

Member

DD Moderator

Never Forgotten

DD Moderator

Member

Member

DD Moderator

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page