has the DD forum lost its "bite"?

[benferg]

Been in Samoa for a week as it wasn't hot enough in NZ.

Back this week, have been doing some mods to the loading area/platform of the JD drill. New set of discs have turned up so also getting them ready to work.
It's just not DD time over here, give me another 2 months & we'll be at it. In the mean time I think I'll have ripped up a lot of paddocks that have had winter kale in as it's been wet in NZ the last few weeks. Even the stones are muddy!

I do wonder if the DD forum should be up there with cropping etc. Do like the sub folders, but maybe too many?

 

[Lapwing]

Bullock-Tillage has a stand at the Game Fair and we have had a number of "well known" direct-drillers come in today telling us that their crops are looking just a bit better than they expected five weeks ago...and don't let on how we/they have done it

What stand? Is it classified information for DD enthusiasts only?

 

[sleepy]

Since the direct drilling was moved from its middle slot in TFF to the new position at the bottom, IMO at that point this is when there was a decline in posting ect?? Or is it just me??

Well I've put it back in the middle now so let's see

 

[green giant]

Well I've put it back in the middle now so let's see

I looked on before and thought I was seeing things, was thinking I just posted about its position and it in the middle?? A least I haven't lost my marbles yet.

 

[Badshot]

I looked on before and thought I was seeing things, was thinking I just posted about its position and it in the middle?? A least I haven't lost my marbles yet.

Yes you have:-D

 

[Baling Hay]

I think all the direct drilling stuff should be put into two topics, general discussion and media gallery and then placed in among the cropping, livestock and forage.

 

[Knockie]

Obviously farmers saw others doing it, it worked and others copied it and it spread. Are many of your neighbours adopting your techniques knockie?

Don't be silly, they all think I'm nuts!
SD.

 

[Knockie]

So back to my question, will the plough/deep till neighbours be changing to direct drilling as your crops look so much better in the dry weather?

I still plough and one pass, I'm still trying to piece together a more long term system, DD is one part of it along with cover crops, CULTAN, rotation, CTF, etc etc.
You could say I'm on about step 6
Ps haven't seen my crops for a couple of weeks, was posting from somewhere in the midlands earlier on way back from Devon.
Cheers.
SD.

 

[Devon James]

I still plough and one pass, I'm still trying to piece together a more long term system, DD is one part of it along with cover crops, CULTAN, rotation, CTF, etc etc.
You could say I'm on about step 6
Ps haven't seen my crops for a couple of weeks, was posting from somewhere in the midlands earlier on way back from Devon.
Cheers.
SD.

Hi Stuart, what did you think of the crops down here compared to rest you seen on your travel down? We are cooking up a bit now

 

[Jim Bullock]

So back to my question, will the plough/deep till neighbours be changing to direct drilling as your crops look so much better in the dry weather?

No of course they won't....DD attracts a certain type of individual who likes to look at farming from a different perspective.. It's right for some but not others.

 

[Chae1]

Interesting. Thanks for your very honest replies. So it seems DD is part of a establishment system, a tool to be used when conditions appropriate.

 

[Chae1]

If I saw you out sowing 80 acres a day into stubble with 120 hp and your crops looked the same as mine ploughed then ph combi drilled I would go all DD.

 

[Christopher Renner]

M

 

[DRC]

Problem is, I'd love to go DD, or min till, but can't afford the failures that I saw on land that had to be redrilled around here. At least my plough based, combi drill system, on my limited acreage and with a range of crops , often ploughing in muck, works year on year.
I have bought a shallow stubble cultivator to play around with on some fields this year.
I sometimes detect a bit of smugness with the non ploughing brigade about how well their crops look, forgetting to mention that last year a lot are on their second go, so to speak.

 

[B&B Pig Man]

Problem is, I'd love to go DD, or min till, but can't afford the failures that I saw on land that had to be redrilled around here. At least my plough based, combi drill system, on my limited acreage and with a range of crops , often ploughing in muck, works year on year.
I have bought a shallow stubble cultivator to play around with on some fields this year.
I sometimes detect a bit of smugness with the non ploughing brigade about how well their crops look, forgetting to mention that last year a lot are on their second go, so to speak.

I think this is a very valid point for us 'smaller' guys.

 

[ianw]

I grew up through the 80's and 90's watching a few neighbours "flirt" with direct drilling,which I may add normally failed.Father loved the plough and I can remember when jim b,wrote in the yellow comic years ago,father pronounced him to be a crackpot(sorry jim).However this time last year I would probably have agreed,but reading the forum and other articles I see what the faults where in past years and probably why dd failed at the time.As I have said before its upto farmers already dd'ing to promote it as its not really in the benefit of machinery/tractor makers to get you jumping off the hp hamster wheel.But as I read more I can see it possibly will work but only if you are prepared to put the effort in,if you wish to drill wall to wall wheat and shut the gate then keep the combi/vaddy.Anyway just need to convince father in law now that less could possibly be more

 

[Chae1]

The best promotion they can do is growing decent crops, consistently.

 

[ianw]

The best promotion they can do is growing decent crops, consistently.

Agreed but where I had seen it in the past,it was used as an answer to an already blackgrass infested problem or into sour clay fields what they didn't like to plough,which when failed we put down to the drill but it was more than likely the rotation/management that was at fault,in the sense those I saw try it used it more as a get out of jail free card

 

[Clive]

The best promotion they can do is growing decent crops, consistently.

I'm not sure I want to promote it ! Quite happy watching busy fools spend their money and maintaining a competitive advantage

 

[Clive]

I grew up through the 80's and 90's watching a few neighbours "flirt" with direct drilling,which I may add normally failed.Father loved the plough and I can remember when jim b,wrote in the yellow comic years ago,father pronounced him to be a crackpot(sorry jim).However this time last year I would probably have agreed,but reading the forum and other articles I see what the faults where in past years and probably why dd failed at the time.As I have said before its upto farmers already dd'ing to promote it as its not really in the benefit of machinery/tractor makers to get you jumping off the hp hamster wheel.But as I read more I can see it possibly will work but only if you are prepared to put the effort in,if you wish to drill wall to wall wheat and shut the gate then keep the combi/vaddy.Anyway just need to convince father in law now that less could possibly be more

Once you start to realise that success has very little to do with the drill any other machine for that matter you are 90% of the way there !