Ploughing at night?

[Claydon]

Firstly great forum lots of interesting reading on here, thanks.
So this is not a complaint, in fact I quite like it, but is there any particular reason why anyone would be ploughing at night? Obviously there's many reasons like time constraints, staffing etc, just wondered if there's any benefit to do with soil or something, birds not eating the worms? Thanks

 

[kfpben]

Trying to crack on and get it done before this week’s forecast monsoon I would expect.

 

[Lofty1984]

Firstly great forum lots of interesting reading on here, thanks.
So this is not a complaint, in fact I quite like it, but is there any particular reason why anyone would be ploughing at night? Obviously there's many reasons like time constraints, staffing etc, just wondered if there's any benefit to do with soil or something, birds not eating the worms? Thanks

At a guess it’s purely down to weather pressure and trying to get on when the weather allows

 

[Tim G]

Don't want everyone seeing them after spending out on a 'must have' direct drill?

 

[solo]

I ploughed until 10pm Tuesday purely to bury the muck I had spread because once it gets wet then the plough tractor will spin on the greasy surface causing soil structure damage. Weather has not been kind for field work since the end of September.

 

[Claydon]

Don't want everyone seeing them after spending out on a 'must have' direct drill?

Haha, it was actually a very shiny New Holland with lots of LED's, so maybe you're onto something!

 

[Bald Rick]

Firstly great forum lots of interesting reading on here, thanks.
So this is not a complaint, in fact I quite like it, but is there any particular reason why anyone would be ploughing at night? Obviously there's many reasons like time constraints, staffing etc, just wondered if there's any benefit to do with soil or something, birds not eating the worms? Thanks

IIRC, back in the 80s, the Co-Op experimented with cultivating and sowing only at night and using night vision goggles (and absolutely NO tractor lights) in the belief that this would not break the dormancy of weed seeds thereby reducing the need for herbicides
Think they gave up after a season as they got too far behind with drilling.

 

[fieldfarmer]

Firstly great forum lots of interesting reading on here, thanks.
So this is not a complaint, in fact I quite like it, but is there any particular reason why anyone would be ploughing at night? Obviously there's many reasons like time constraints, staffing etc, just wondered if there's any benefit to do with soil or something, birds not eating the worms? Thanks

Not wanting to knock your knowledge of a plough but might they have been direct drilling all night on the frost?

 

[Farma Parma]

There is your answer its as simple as that.
Started a Job so you possibly want it finished the same day.
Weather is the other driver in every single Land operation on any Farm end of.
If your not from Farming stock & dont understand this you pretty soon will reading things on here.
Ive ploughed many an Acre in the dark, but always started the field in the daylight.
Worked most of the night in the past when the rain was forecast
All sorts of cultivation jobs right through the night, Combined also until the sun came up.
When needs must you just keep going.

 

[Bald Rick]

I never really enjoyed ploughing at night as it seemed very lonely - just you and a puddle of light. I missed the seagulls and the smell of fresh turned earth (as I shut the windows after dark to keep out the chill)

 

[Lazy Sod]

One year in the nineties,we had an extremely hot September. The tractor driver I had at the time said that it was just too hot to plough in the daytime as there was no air con on the tractor. He started doing it at night. I just let him carry on. The trouble was that it kept people, including me, awake at night.

 

[ploughman1963]

IIRC, back in the 80s, the Co-Op experimented with cultivating and sowing only at night and using night vision goggles (and absolutely NO tractor lights) in the belief that this would not break the dormancy of weed seeds thereby reducing the need for herbicides
Think they gave up after a season as they got too far behind with drilling.

I believe there is an organic farmer in our region who practices this and is reportedly happy that its worth the effort

 

[Claydon]

Thanks folks, interesting so no actually soil type benefit, probably just needs must.

 

[Claydon]

Not wanting to knock your knowledge of a plough but might they have been direct drilling all night on the frost?

Fair point but definitely a plough, it's left on its own during the day and only used at night, and no frosts here at the moment either.

 

[Lofty1984]

Fair point but definitely a plough, it's left on its own during the day and only used at night, and no frosts here at the moment either.

Maybe they are off doing something else during day light

 

[Farma Parma]

Thanks folks, interesting so no actually soil type benefit, probably just needs must.

Only benefit to the soils is the worms will live longer as no Flying RATS to pinch them during the dark
Thats it & your tractor doesn't get all shat on

 

[Farma Parma]

I never really enjoyed ploughing at night as it seemed very lonely - just you and a puddle of light. I missed the seagulls and the smell of fresh turned earth (as I shut the windows after dark to keep out the chill)

This is correct & if you been there most of the day it becomes more n more tiresome & yes the Radio is poorer at night.
Lights no so much as issue nowerdays with the vast improvement in LED options

 

[Red Fred]

I believe there is an organic farmer in our region who practices this and is reportedly happy that its worth the effort

I was once asked to reseed a paddock for our local Rudolf Steiner Community, who work on the principles of Biodynamics. It became a real challenge, as every time I wanted to do something, they would stop me, have a committee meeting, and then tell me the best date to plough, seed, etc, according to Steiner's teachings and the phases of the moon. The weather would be ideal but they would say "Could you do it next Thursday night as the moon will be in the right house?"
I learnt afterwards that ceremonies were taking place after I had gone home, involving the burial of the secret Preparation X in a cow horn in a corner of the field to ensure success.
It must have worked because it came up nice and thick.

 

[Princess Pooper]

The research in the late 1980's -1990's about night cultivating and benefits for weed control was about the time I was working as a student on an arable farm and doing lot of night ploughing and power harrowing so it particularly interested me. The theory is that the flash of light experienced at seed level as the soil is turned over triggers germination, even if the seed is then buried again.

That said, the usual reason would just be to keep ahead of weather or to catch up with workload - especially if they have some winter seed yet to drill as they are up against it in terms of timing now.

The other reason for night ploughing is when it is very hot in daytime, if it can be cultivated and drilled straight behind the plough then better moisture retention. But I somehow doubt that is the issue here .....

 

[melted welly]

I used to enjoy night shift, got left alone to get on with the job. Nobody driving about checking up and criticising.