The plough.

[Chae1]

Interesting article.

BBC News - How the plough made the modern economy possible http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41903076

 

[icanshootwell]

Interesting article.

BBC News - How the plough made the modern economy possible http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41903076

The writer Tim Harford, uses a combi to highlight as an example when talking about the plough. Does this not some-up what the bbc no about farming in general. SFA.

 

[Banana Bar]

Interesting article.

BBC News - How the plough made the modern economy possible http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41903076

Very interesting

 

[Chae1]

The writer Tim Harford, uses a combi to highlight as an example when talking about the plough. Does this not some-up what the bbc no about farming in general. SFA.

Yes. The image isn't a good advert for plough or crop establishment.

 

[Chae1]

Very interesting

Interesting how its a article on how it made the modern world possible.

Many now think its destroying the world.

Perhaps in 50 years it will be a direct drill that saved the world from soil erosion, desertification.

Why did they choose this high draft/intensive way of establishing crops?
They could have simply cut a slit in the soil, put the seeds in and closed it again? Its human nature to find the easiest way.

The small robot company suggest in the future there will be lots of drones/robots going about the fields drilling holes to plant seeds. Surely in times goneby there were so many people going about without a purpose, they could have done the same?

Imagine how great the soil was? Hadn't been poisoned by chemicals, man made fertilisers. No compaction from heavy machines. Why did they start using fertiliser? I mean if the soil biology is right its all available anyway. Tons of it.

 

[Stock]

It might be the editor that is at fault as they that put in the pictures.................................................. but if one read the article it is progressive so the combi is the technology for farmers and if what I read is true it is the power harrow is what is breaking down the structure of the soil accompanied with to much artificial fertliser.........................

 

[Frodo2]

That article is ploughing deep and a bit tenuous. Does anyone really believe humans would have been better of if we had remained hunter gatherers?

As for the image it's just a stock photo, slightly off topic, like much of the article.

 

[deleted user 837354]

The plough was instrumental in taming wilderness areas so that people could farm them. Id imagine it gave you half a chance to get a crop growing before the weeds turned up.

I would say the washing machine and electricity has been instrumental in allowing societies to develop beyond a very basic level of existence.

 

[7610 super q]

Farmers Weekly have jumped on the band wagon of no till rubbish, claiming better no till soils mean lower HP tractors........yeah....OK.
Won't be long before no tiller tractors are powered by the owners own sense of self satisfaction....

 

[holywell farmer]

That article is ploughing deep and a bit tenuous. Does anyone really believe humans would have been better of if we had remained hunter gatherers?

As for the image it's just a stock photo, slightly off topic, like much of the article.

Depths of ploughing could spark a debate

 

[michael N123]

The last few years we have tried direct drilling on our farm it works 50/50 requires a lot more spraying and still ends up with more weeds... have had some great crops of kale/turnips and also some bad ones
this is into pasture as part of a rotation and heavy wet soils with plenty of stones clay ect

the plow works 99.9 % of the time and requires little if no spraying I’d buy a new plow before a direct drill

 

[multi power]

Farmers Weekly have jumped on the band wagon of no till rubbish, claiming better no till soils mean lower HP tractors........yeah....OK.
Won't be long before no tiller tractors are powered by the owners own sense of self satisfaction....

They all seem to be using 100hp plus fent, yet I bet they are still costing more to do the job compared to grey fergies 70 years ago

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Interesting how its a article on how it made the modern world possible.

Many now think its destroying the world.

Perhaps in 50 years it will be a direct drill that saved the world from soil erosion, desertification.

Why did they choose this high draft/intensive way of establishing crops?
They could have simply cut a slit in the soil, put the seeds in and closed it again? Its human nature to find the easiest way.

The small robot company suggest in the future there will be lots of drones/robots going about the fields drilling holes to plant seeds. Surely in times goneby there were so many people going about without a purpose, they could have done the same?

Imagine how great the soil was? Hadn't been poisoned by chemicals, man made fertilisers. No compaction from heavy machines. Why did they start using fertiliser? I mean if the soil biology is right its all available anyway. Tons of it.

It could be argued learning to create and harness fire has had the biggest affect on civilisation.

But the use of coal and oil, whilst having a profound effect on civilisation, like the perhaps the plough, is maybe a case of maximum response without necessarily understanding the long term consequences.

 

[deleted user 837354]

It could be argued learning to create and harness fire has had the biggest affect on civilisation.

But the use of coal and oil, whilst having a profound effect on civilisation, like the perhaps the plough, is maybe a case of maximum response without necessarily understanding the long term consequences.

Even fire would not have been without it's downsides. For a start, it was fire that led people to clear large areas of forestry in the search for fuel and you can bet more than a few times Neanderthals set fire to vast areas of land. Of course, living around a campfire is likely to do little for your respiratory health as well.

 

[fudge]

My reading of the piece is that it was written by someone who laments the development of the human race. Perhaps the adoption of zero till is the first step on the necessary road back to being hunter gatherers?

 

[michael N123]

My reading of the piece is that it was written by someone who laments the development of the human race. Perhaps the adoption of zero till is the first step on the necessary road back to being hunter gatherers?

Will that work well when roundups banned and where all organic

 

[fudge]

Will that work well when roundups banned and where all organic

Well exactly. I doubt the average arable farmer is cut out to be a hunter gatherer. Organic farming is the logical stopping point for most.