DD on stock farm

[tr250]

Does anyone dd with livestock we are mainly stock but have 400ac of combinables 200ww 100osr 100wb. and 80ac of temp grass which stays down two years then followed by seed crops. i like the idea of less work in summer as we got a lot of stock work straw contracting etc. but not sure it is possible with all compaction baler, then bale trailers that stay on tramlines, loader then muck spreader we have hired in till this year but now bought our own agrihire with spreading discs this they say will throw composted muck up to 24m so i hope to be able to stick to our 20m tramlines and get an even spread but havnt used it yet so dont know. anyway is dd possible in this senario. cuttently sumo trio, cultipress, maybe ph then tine drill, roll

 

[SilliamWhale]

I have sheep and throw cattle muck on from farmer down the road I sell straw to. I don't graze cattle and have either pp or annuals. ie no 5 year leys.

Its not really a problem, with balers and spreaders once you have a couple of years structure its ok. The worst compaction comes from cultivation machinery breaking up vertical fissures, rather than compression from wheelings in my view. Wheelings aren't ideal but I've dug holes right behind spreaders a few times and relatively relaxed about what I see.

I think the right tyres could help enormously come baling time.

 

[tr250]

oh right thats interesting what drill do you have

 

[htj]

We don't farm as much area as you, about 250 acres, with 120 acres combinables in a rotation with 4 yr hay lays.
We're in our second full year of DD. Establishing cereals and forage rape/turnips no problem. We have also reseed our hay lays into stubbles.
Sold the plough, and the combi! So no going back now!We also keep sucklers, and also graze these on green crops over the winter.
We use an Aitchison T-sem. Reliable and simple. Establishing spring crops now for a total fuel usage of 3 litres an acre.

 

[benferg]

6 of my guys have stock & a bit of crop, a lot of DD.
was a duncan renovator, now more JD 750 A Want to try DD'ing barley into old pasture in spring somewhere.

 

[tr250]

6 of my guys have stock & a bit of crop, a lot of DD.
was a duncan renovator, now more JD 750 A Want to try DD'ing barley into old pasture in spring somewhere.

That would be impressive i think it would work well because of the soil structure and fibre grass roots worms etc

 

[BSH]

DD with livestock here, but only in first year. I too use an Aitchison Sim Tech drill. Hoping to integrate cattle with cover crops.

 

[tr250]

Just looked at website looks good. do they work on convential cultivated seedbed, work in wet, and do they not do a 4m model

 

[BSH]

Yes, they work on a conventional seed bed and in the wet. I don't think they do a 4m model. They have a 4.8m model as the next size up from 3m.

 

[tr250]

We have an accord tine seeder atm would it do similar job on cultivated land

 

[BSH]

I imagine it would, but I haven't used an Accord. I have used mine to put grass seed into a cultivated seed bed as well as spring barley.

 

[benferg]

the seed spacing won't be as even when you go back to a gravity box. On the Duncan & Aitchisonthe increased tine stagger does mean there is a bit of seed stalling in the tubes at times.

Depth would be similar.

 

[tr250]

I Thought they had a sulky air drill on top?

 

[benferg]

sorry was thinking what the 3 meter atchison drill looks like in nz

 

[ploughman1963]

I too am interested in in how I could incorporate direct drilling into a dairy grassland/maize/arable regime with lots of FYM to get rid of. Having great fun this spring - using a Duncan - have DD'd some failed WW headlands with spring barley which will be wholecropped to leave the WW for combine. DD'd forage rape into v old burnt off pasture which will be grazed and then DD'd into new grass ley.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I too am interested in in how I could incorporate direct drilling into a dairy grassland/maize/arable regime with lots of FYM to get rid of. Having great fun this spring - using a Duncan - have DD'd some failed WW headlands with spring barley which will be wholecropped to leave the WW for combine. DD'd forage rape into v old burnt off pasture which will be grazed and then DD'd into new grass ley.

apply your fym as composted as possible. I apply fym on DD and its not a problem.

The biggest challenge is coming out of grass to the next crop but see Ben's guide to that. Aside from that I think you can use it to speed up cropping cycles a bit .

 

[BSH]

I applied my FYM well composted on stubble and then drilled through it. I nearly came unstuck doing this with the endless wet in the autumn as it became a problem with the roller on the Sim Tech and blocked it on one occasion. The key is to spread it very thinly. Cant comment on slurry, but imagine that injecting it or using a slitter type applicator would be the way ahead?

 

[tr250]

apply your fym as composted as possible. I apply fym on DD and its not a problem.

The biggest challenge is coming out of grass to the next crop but see Ben's guide to that. Aside from that I think you can use it to speed up cropping cycles a bit .

Why is coming out of grass the biggest challenge i would of thought soil structure would be better and better draining. wireworm?

 

[SilliamWhale]

Toxic Soup from decaying grass can affect germination of some new seedlings.

Leatherjackets

Slugs

Tie up of N in decaying roots

But people can and do beat these things but its good to be aware of them.

 

[tr250]

so it would need glypha while it had a leave let it die then graze hard. not sure when to apply cyren for wire worm then though