Efficient or underpowered? Changes over the years...

[glasshouse]

I should have said that the barley stubble was green with couch or wrack as we call it

 

[Spud]

I should have said that the barley stubble was green with couch or wrack as we call it

And did the glyphosate kill it?

 

[glasshouse]

And did the glyphosate kill it?

Yes

 

[glasshouse]

And did the glyphosate kill it?

And the following wheat.

 

[Treemover]

I worked for a business in my 20s around 1995, that ran a jd 3650 which did the ploughing, a 2wd 3040 that did the tilling with a kv scissors tine; drilling was with an IH 784 and mf drill. We did approx 900 acres a year. Mixture of winter and spring barley.

I think today unless you have 200 hp you can’t call it a tractor. I don’t think it’s progress.

 

[Flat 10]

I worked for a business in my 20s around 1995, that ran a jd 3650 which did the ploughing, a 2wd 3040 that did the tilling with a kv scissors tine; drilling was with an IH 784 and mf drill. We did approx 900 acres a year. Mixture of winter and spring barley.

I think today unless you have 200 hp you can’t call it a tractor. I don’t think it’s progress.

I remember equipment as you describe very well, I just don’t remember people doing the acreages with them that you and others have described. I’m not doubting you or them but the drivers must have put some hours in. I think the other chap was on about similar acreage with a JD 6900 and a 6400.

 

[Lowland1]

I worked for a business in my 20s around 1995, that ran a jd 3650 which did the ploughing, a 2wd 3040 that did the tilling with a kv scissors tine; drilling was with an IH 784 and mf drill. We did approx 900 acres a year. Mixture of winter and spring barley.

I think today unless you have 200 hp you can’t call it a tractor. I don’t think it’s progress.

On my Uncles farm they’ve gone from a MF 3095 and 5 furrow reversible twenty years ago to a 370 hp John Deere crawler and 6 furrow reversible they do twice as much but I don’t think the soil likes it.

 

[glasshouse]

We used to do 1200 to 1400 ac with a ford 8240, ford 7810,7610 and 6610
Two mf 30 drills and two kuhn ph because twenty miles between farms

 

[Flat 10]

We used to do 1200 to 1400 ac with a ford 8240, ford 7810,7610 and 6610
Two mf 30 drills and two kuhn ph because twenty miles between farms

How many drivers?

 

[Lowland1]

We used to do 1200 to 1400 ac with a ford 8240, ford 7810,7610 and 6610
Two mf 30 drills and two kuhn ph because twenty miles between farms

The estate across from us in England is 8000 acres it was farmed with two FW 30’s and about 15 8210’s and 7710’s growing about 1000 acres each of potatoes and beet. It is now farmed by James Dyson with a mix of Quadtracs and big Fendts all the fields on the fen are now about 2 foot lower in the centre than the outsides as the soil has just been squeezed. The FW’s ploughed with 10 furrows so do the Quadtracs. The big Fendt pull 6m drills but so did the 7710’s plus a 7710 on terra Tyres compacts less than a Fendt. However the Estate used to employ a village full of people with its own social club, cricket team etc Now some people from somewhere else pitch up work up the land and disappear. It’s all about labour the less you employ the less important farming is.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

The arable farm I did my middle year on ran:
TW30
TW25
TW20
MF1200
7610 Ford
3 IH674

On 3000 to 3500 acres (contracting varied) so about 800hp making it under 0.25hp/acre.

It's all contracted out now.

 

[Flat 10]

The estate across from us in England is 8000 acres it was farmed with two FW 30’s and about 15 8210’s and 7710’s growing about 1000 acres each of potatoes and beet. It is now farmed by James Dyson with a mix of Quadtracs and big Fendts all the fields on the fen are now about 2 foot lower in the centre than the outsides as the soil has just been squeezed. The FW’s ploughed with 10 furrows so do the Quadtracs. The big Fendt pull 6m drills but so did the 7710’s plus a 7710 on terra Tyres compacts less than a Fendt. However the Estate used to employ a village full of people with its own social club, cricket team etc Now some people from somewhere else pitch up work up the land and disappear. It’s all about labour the less you employ the less important farming is.

Not sure that's why the middles are lower....... Using your logic outsides should be lower as they are used for turning?

 

[Lowland1]

Not sure that's why the middles are lower....... Using your logic outsides should be lower as they are used for turning?

Closer to the dykes will be drier as better drained but wetter in the centre so easily pushed down

 

[Spud]

And the following wheat.

Are you sure glyphosate sprayed on the couch caused the wheat not to grow?
Did you germ test the wheat pre sowing?
Check for wireworm?
Slugs?

 

[Flat 10]

Closer to the dykes will be drier as better drained but wetter in the centre so easily pushed down

Our fen is like that. Ditch banks always higher as more clay mixed in dug out of ditch stabilises peat and stops it shrinking AFAIK. Or is yours not peat? You can’t really compact our peat anyway.

 

[glasshouse]

How many drivers?

2 full time
2 backpackers

 

[glasshouse]

Are you sure glyphosate sprayed on the couch caused the wheat not to grow?
Did you germ test the wheat pre sowing?
Check for wireworm?
Slugs?

I said it was a half field
The other half grew perfectly

 

[Lowland1]

Our fen is like that. Ditch banks always higher as more clay mixed in dug out of ditch stabilises peat and stops it shrinking AFAIK. Or is yours not peat? You can’t really compact our peat anyway.

Ours is like that although the dyke stuff is like a red sand/gravel you always head to the dyke side when carting stuff away. But you will know heavy machinery pushes it down and when it’s wet sort of vibrates through the top. Pea Viners are a very good example even when dry they used to sink because they were moving slowly but turning the soil to an unstable dust. Last year a Grimme self propelled harvester sank overnight and had to be left until spring on a neighbouring though it was an exceptional year.

 

[Spud]

I said it was a half field
The other half grew perfectly

You did yes, with two different histories.
Will the experience stop you using glyphosate?

 

[Spud]

The estate across from us in England is 8000 acres it was farmed with two FW 30’s and about 15 8210’s and 7710’s growing about 1000 acres each of potatoes and beet. It is now farmed by James Dyson with a mix of Quadtracs and big Fendts all the fields on the fen are now about 2 foot lower in the centre than the outsides as the soil has just been squeezed. The FW’s ploughed with 10 furrows so do the Quadtracs. The big Fendt pull 6m drills but so did the 7710’s plus a 7710 on terra Tyres compacts less than a Fendt. However the Estate used to employ a village full of people with its own social club, cricket team etc Now some people from somewhere else pitch up work up the land and disappear. It’s all about labour the less you employ the less important farming is.

So why are seemingly coming up with every idea possible to reduce people on the land, in favour of robots?
Fortunately, through time and tweaking, after many years of every tractor we bought being bigger than the last, we've got to a point where we can consider going slowly smaller, yet without farmed area shrinking.
I've said for years that the country would be better off encouraging employment on farms, with more but smaller tractors being the way forward.
Super size is getting out of hand, we're not America.