Efficient or underpowered? Changes over the years...

[ollie989898]

I can well imagine all the big estates back in the day, 5 blokes in their Ford 5000's ploughing for about two months, then drilling then something else all winter etc etc etc. Well, I guess it kept families fed.

 

[glasshouse]

I can well imagine all the big estates back in the day, 5 blokes in their Ford 5000's ploughing for about two months, then drilling then something else all winter etc etc etc. Well, I guess it kept families fed.

That would have been a small one

 

[Spud]

3-4 weeks

I can't see it affecting wheat seed after that time, unless you absolutely lathered it on at 6litres/ha, with very low water rates and it didn't rain between spraying and sowing. Then you said you ploughed it? Even less likely. What does your agronomist recon?

 

[Cowcorn]

I actually posted something like that about two years ago and the vitriol I got stopped me posting anything for about six months. I actually have no problem with people like Mr Dyson owning land but why not encourage people like him to rent it out. However the truth is the Government don’t want a lot of farmers the fewer they have to deal with the better and that goes for our customers.

Ah now that would be bringing a Social dimension into Ag policy Lowland . Way to european for some . I know you cant stifle ambition and progress but there is a limit to size increasing income . I often wonder if Ray McSharrys orgional reform proposals were implemented and limits on supported acreage applied would there be more farmers ??? I remember when the details were first revealed the panic that ensued in the higher ranks of the CLA and the NFU who went from bragging about large efficent British farms to wailing about discrimation and potential bankruptcy for some of their members
A prominent British farmer met Ray for a business lunch to discuss the proposals and when he informed Ray that he farmed in excess of 2000 acres Ray replied that he should have no worries that if he couldnt make a good living off all that land then he deserved a good kick up the arse not subsidies .
Back on topic ..... Mid eighties here MF 699 with 4 furrow rev , 698 T with Vicon over and back power harrow and IH 784 with 3 metre MF 30 . Duals on the harrowing and drill tractors and could harrow and drill 25 acres day . In broken weather plough directly ahead but crops always got drilled about 300 acres of winter corn and 200 of spring .

 

[Spud]

Ah now that would be bringing a Social dimension into Ag policy Lowland . Way to european for some . I know you cant stifle ambition and progress but there is a limit to size increasing income . I often wonder if Ray McSharrys orgional reform proposals were implemented and limits on supported acreage applied would there be more farmers ??? I remember when the details were first revealed the panic that ensued in the higher ranks of the CLA and the NFU who went from bragging about large efficent British farms to wailing about discrimation and potential bankruptcy for some of their members
A prominent British farmer met Ray for a business lunch to discuss the proposals and when he informed Ray that he farmed in excess of 2000 acres Ray replied that he should have no worries that if he couldnt make a good living off all that land then he deserved a good kick up the arse not subsidies .
Back on topic ..... Mid eighties here MF 699 with 4 furrow rev , 698 T with Vicon over and back power harrow and IH 784 with 3 metre MF 30 . Duals on the harrowing and drill tractors and could harrow and drill 25 acres day . In broken weather plough directly ahead but crops always got drilled about 300 acres of winter corn and 200 of spring .

Would the farmer meeting with McSharry be Oliver Walston? I remember him being particularly vocal re govt farming policy generally in the 80's & 90's

 

[D14]

It's widely accepted that there are less people, and less tractors farming a similar area now to 40yrs ago - it's interesting to put some numbers to it

Just worked mine out. 40yrs ago we were farming 40acres per tractor, 80ac/man. Power worked out at 1.45hp/ac (just tractors) Workload included 25% root crops (beet, swedes and potatoes)

Today, we've got 158ac/tractor and 316ac/man, working out at 1.05hp/ac. Workload now includes more acres, and 32% root crops (mostly potatoes, plus beet)

That effectively means that we're farming four times more acres per man, and four times the acres per tractor with 28% less power per acre.

Neither figures include casual labour, or contractors, which was roughly equal from then to now, albeit different jobs. It does include full time and management labour.

Underpowered or efficient?

Longevity of machinery is another interesting thing, alongside this. In the 60's, 70's and most of the 80's, tractors seemed to be changed regularly, perhaps less regularly now. A lot of the classic forums (predictably so, perhaps) malaise the modern era, suggesting tech, electronics and plastic will not last like the stick box and basicness of time gone by......but will that be mirrored by reality? I'm not convinced.

Take MF 3000 series - I bet there was some noise made in 1986 that electro hydraulics wouldn't last, that levers were better (as illustrated by Ford 40series classic edition). 3005 series have in theory a more complicated electro controlled Dynashift gearbox that's favored way above the 16sp manual version. (and backed by values)

Will the same happen with varios in future? I've had way less bother with my MF DynaVT boxes than I have with Dyna6 power shifts, for example.
Ford Range Command equipped TM's make far more money than arguably simpler 40series, with manual SLDP classic variations lagging behind further.
Simple manual gearboxes have largely disappeared from the new tractor offerings in this country in recent years.

I may be right, I may be wrong - I do forsee a market opening for replacement wiring looms in future though!!

Tractors only.

40 years ago 1.45hp/ac with 15% root crops and 69ac per full time man. Tractors changed every 1500 hours.
20 years ago 0.85hp/ac with 25% root crops and 138ac per full time man. Tractors changed every 2500 hours.
Today 0.55hp/ac with zero root crops with no full time staff. Tractor changed when the need arises but would not be before 5000 hours minimum.

 

[Lowland1]

Would the farmer meeting with McSharry be Oliver Walston? I remember him being particularly vocal re govt farming policy generally in the 80's & 90's

I think there is meeting of Mcsharry and Walston on his 'Against the Grain' TV programme. I really liked Oliver Walston though most farmers didn't when he was basically saying 'why are you giving farmers like me all this money that we don't really need' when commodity prices were high.