Moving less soil...

[hendrebc]

If crimp rollers arent very reliable at killing covers would a flail topper work? Or am i missing something

 

[Shutesy]

If crimp rollers arent very reliable at killing covers would a flail topper work? Or am i missing something

A flail will kill something that dies with the top cut off it, most grass species would survive and just start growing again, whereas crimping is supposed to be able to kill grass species by crimping the stems, guess it all depends on what the cover crop consists of.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Thanks @Farmer Roy - I've followed that Regen Ag thread from the beginning, but have to confess I've forgotten what I read at the beginning again now...

I have Moyer's book, I have to say I was a little disappointed with it. Yes he's done a lot with crimper rollers, but the whole book is really about those and not a lot else, once you strip out the really basic stuff he's also put in about soil and crops etc.

Like you say though, it's not going to be easy. If it was easy/obvious, then probably a lot more people would be trying it.

Yeah, I agree, he is a bit of a "one trick pony" with the crimper roller

Have you come across Gabe Brown ? Very interesting, but big reliance on integration with livestock & the big difference that both you & I have compared to the northern US boys is that lack of a frost kill & heavy snow period that they seem to rely on

 

[hendrebc]

Yeah, I agree, he is a bit of a "one trick pony" with the crimper roller

Have you come across Gabe Brown ? Very interesting, but big reliance on integration with livestock & the big difference that both you & I have compared to the northern US boys is that lack of a frost kill & heavy snow period that they seem to rely on

Could you not use your heat and dry to kill cover crops somehow roy? Not sure how though but it could turn a massive disadvantage into a small plus point for you. Somehow

 

[Kiwi Pete]

If crimp rollers arent very reliable at killing covers would a flail topper work? Or am i missing something

Once you cut a big long stem like that off it is then yours to drag around with your drill, unfortunately
If you can crush the stem in quite a few places and effectively cut off the growing point of a plant that doesn't produce another basal point or tiller then you kill it

I think that is the concise version of the crimping roller/rye combo.

You will know of our old cattle paddock, anywhere the stock didn't kill the ryecorn we used to drag a wing of 8 tractor tyres (telegraph pole ) to pull it over and then run across at right angles with a clappedout set of discs with no "cut" on them which had a similar result - but this was in the 80's in NZ when $500,000 was a farm, not a drill and tractor cattle did most of the work but a few places they didn't, modern electric fencing gear would make light work of it

In short it is easier to pull a drill through that groundcover if you lie it all the same way and drill it.

 

[New Puritan]

Just a thought I had whilst watching that video, the couple of UK farmers I've seen that have tried crimping have only had a crimp roller on the front or the back of the tractor and haven't always had great results from it. Has anyone tried a crimp roller on the front and back of the tractor or perhaps 2 passes at slightly different angles?

I think I read somewhere that that is a good idea. Plus also sizing the roller a bit bigger / heavier.

My other concern with the cover crops - crimping - no-till arrangement is that I grow rye for milling, and so it doesn't make for a very good cover crop in my rotation.

 

[hendrebc]

How would rape or kale work as a cover crop? That would be killed by a crimper wouldnt it?

 

[New Puritan]

@hendrebc - dunno, but there's one way to find out!

It was interesting reading in the direct drilling magazine, a guy saying that e.g. phacelia is planted by species rather than variety, and that some of it ends up being strains that are winter hardy. That's a bit of a worry really, I'm messing about with phacelia and mustard this year, and would prefer them to have reliable characteristics. Neither would be too bad (compared to docks / thistles / couch) but I don't want to inadvertently introduce new weeds.