90hp farming
Member
@neilo. I am similarly risk averse when it comes to a light cultivation.
But........
Last spring I did what you are doing, but the other way around. Ewes were grazing spring oats in Feb / March which then went into forage rape / st. turnips in May. I worked most of the field to a depth of 2 / 3inches, then ring rolled and left a month for a good rain. However left a couple of test runs (say 4 acres in total) untouched. Field drilled on the diagonal with Duncan ecoseeder. Establishment was slower on the untouched ground but the I couldn`t tell any difference across the field in the fully grown crop.
The cultivation was essential where the straw lying pads had been and where I had tramped about feeding beet and filling ring feeders with silage.
But........
Last spring I did what you are doing, but the other way around. Ewes were grazing spring oats in Feb / March which then went into forage rape / st. turnips in May. I worked most of the field to a depth of 2 / 3inches, then ring rolled and left a month for a good rain. However left a couple of test runs (say 4 acres in total) untouched. Field drilled on the diagonal with Duncan ecoseeder. Establishment was slower on the untouched ground but the I couldn`t tell any difference across the field in the fully grown crop.
The cultivation was essential where the straw lying pads had been and where I had tramped about feeding beet and filling ring feeders with silage.