Competition/commercial ploughing Cotswold Brash?

[Pilatus]

Is Cotswold Brash some of the most difficult land you plough ,at competition level or commercially and make a really good job of ploughing.
I ask after attending FFF&
B ploughing competition held at Barrington Estate
yesterday.
The soil looked very puffy to plough, the same as it looked where the ploughing Competition was held a few years ago.
Yesterday a competitor told me “this land is best min tilled”.
Years ago when I did some commercial ploughing,with a Randomes plough with YL bodies they never used to scour very well , ended up
pushing soil to one side more than ploughing.
.Kverneland No8 bodies were better but soil quite often stuck to those mouldboards to.
Any comments welcome.

 

[organicguy]

I did not see a single plot that would win a class at most competitions. There are certainly soils on the cotswolds that all ways stick but I suspect the recent rain made yesterday worse than usual. I would also be interested to know how long that soil has been organic, and whether they have improved organic matter levels and whether that makes a difference?

 

[Pilatus]

Stating the obvious,ploughing up a grass ley on Cotswold Brash is a different matter all together to trying to plough stubble .

 

[Bury the Trash]

Would slats be better ?

 

[Pilatus]

Would slats be better ?

Is there a separate Class for slatted boards at any ploughing competitions.
No doubt some purists will be dead against them, which I understand.
But times move on so surely no harm in having a Class for slatted mouldboards, especially if they indirectly help the skill of ploughing to keep going especially on difficult to plough Cotswold Brash and other puffy souls across the uk. ??

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

I ploughed there last year, never again, it stuck like dooda to a blanket,
Was a very good well organised event in every way, just the dirt was bad to make anything of

 

[boibach]

speeding up the ploughing and pulling the boards in sometimes helps

 

[Bury the Trash]

Is there a separate Class for slatted boards at any ploughing competitions.
No doubt some purists will be dead against them, which I understand.
But times move on so surely no harm in having a Class for slatted mouldboards, especially if they indirectly help the skill of ploughing to keep going especially on difficult to plough Cotswold Brash and other puffy souls across the uk. ??

Yes i agree .
But Sorry, i meant would they make it better for commercial ploughing...

 

[Pilatus]

Yes i agree .
But Sorry, i meant would they make it better for commercial ploughing...

From what some users say "slats" are better,but stones can get trapped in the slats ,no easy answer to most problems in life

 

[Pilatus]

Yes i agree .
But Sorry, i meant would they make it better for commercial ploughing...

If you farmed on the Cotswold you would change your user name to “Can’t Bury the Trash”.

 

[cb387]

On a bad day ( in fact quite a lot of days ) Cotswold brash will stick to anything. Over the years we’ve tried all sorts of boards, slats, even plastic boards. Gregoire Besson reckoned they had a board it couldn’t stick to, shaped a certain way for the right pressure on the board, cutaway bottom edge etc blah, blah. Stuck to that just the same as everything else. We find narrower / shallow furrows help. It makes it a very long, soul destroying days ploughing when it sticks whatever you do. Now mainly min til here.

 

[Pilatus]

On a bad day ( in fact quite a lot of days ) Cotswold brash will stick to anything. Over the years we’ve tried all sorts of boards, slats, even plastic boards. Gregoire Besson reckoned they had a board it couldn’t stick to, shaped a certain way for the right pressure on the board, cutaway bottom edge etc blah, blah. Stuck to that just the same as everything else. We find narrower / shallow furrows help. It makes it a very long, soul destroying days ploughing when it sticks whatever you do. Now mainly min til here.

Min till /zero till must be the way to go on these type of fluffy soils that will not “scour” /turnover with even “21st century mouldboards”, in a commercial situation.

 

[TrickyT]

Was some of the worst soil I have ploughed and to be fair the worst soil at the FFF&B.

The FFF&B has become more of a 'County Show' than ploughing match. The best soil was where the marquee and car park was!

It stuck to everyone's board, even the 'big boys'.

Still, should not complain, came away with a 1st in the Ferguson class.

I do know some of the organisers and to hold an event like this you need about 200 acres, which, in this day and age, I can see why some farmers don't want to give up some land.

Trevor

 

[MrNoo]

It's not worth ploughing brash, it just "pushes" across on a bad day, horrid stuff, stick like sh!t to a stick and then as soon as you lift a reversible up at the end of the run begin to turn over it all falls off (on a very good day).
Chap who farms next door to me offered them a decent block but never heard back from them, some nice (for Cotswolds) soil by all accounts.
I didnt bother going as knew it'd be bad, went to Hereford instead and ploughed some stunning soil there.

 

[7610 super q]

speeding up the ploughing and pulling the boards in sometimes helps

Indeed, speed is the key....

 

[Bury the Trash]

If you farmed on the Cotswold you would change your user name to “Can’t Bury the Trash”.

Well it Sounds like the plough is the wrong tool for this particular land and that it was a poor choice of venue then,
....in that respect asthey say its , 'best to work with nature rather than against it .'

My constant quest to bury the 'stuff' leads to skim modification, always, as no production plough maker puts in that attention to detail they always need a little something extra.... but like mould boards as well, cant blame them making and selling stuff within commercial bounds though.
'Pimp my plough ' is the only answer

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Well it Sounds like the plough is the wrong tool for this particular land and that it was a poor choice of venue then,
....in that respect asthey say its , 'best to work with nature rather than against it .'

My constant quest to bury the 'stuff' leads to skim modification, always, as no production plough maker puts in that attention to detail they always need a little something extra.... but like mould boards as well, cant blame them making and selling stuff within commercial bounds though.
'Pimp my plough ' is the only answer

sounds like you need to enter next year, and show them how is is done,

 

[MrNoo]

No amount of "pimping" will get it to plough, we even had plastic non stick boards on one plough, they failed to work.
The only way is to "pimp" your plough into a cultivator!!!

 

[Bury the Trash]

sounds like you need to enter next year, and show them how is is done,

Hmmm, i wouldnt know where to begin , i know nothing about the job.

Funnily enough and it does cross my mind at times actually Could do with a hobby and willing to learn something, but would i be able to commit the time to it , with the farm to run and family to help on ?..
Got no plough either .....or tractor suitable.....

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Hmmm, i wouldnt know where to begin , i know nothing about the job.

Funnily enough and it does cross my mind at times actually Could do with a hobby and willing to learn something, but would i be able to commit the time to it , with the farm to run and family to help on ?..
Got no plough either .....or tractor suitable.....

well there is your chance, your willing to learn, so get sorted with tractor and plough for next year,
and enter FFF&B match, good experience for you, you may even win, what you think @MrNoo @TrickyT