What % of Crops are you Direct Drilling

[Brisel]

0-10% here, but changing to 100% strip till this year.

I think shifting second hand tillage gear might be tricky over next few years.

Not just yet. My local dealer is still selling more 4-5 furrow ploughs than any other type of implement. He doesn't sell many big ploughs these days as the big boys are all min till, doing less and less ploughing each year.

 

[yellow belly]

100 % for last 12 months 80 for 2013 and 2014

moling every 4 years or closer is better than all the cultivation we used to do

 

[benferg]

Over the last few years 60 % of my drilling was DD. Lately though there has been a large swing from kale to fodder beet so we are ploughing again.

I hate spraying fodder beet [emoji49]

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Over the last few years 60 % of my drilling was DD. Lately though there has been a large swing from kale to fodder beet so we are ploughing again.

I hate spraying fodder beet [emoji49]

Yeah , but what happens when you don't spray fodder beet?

 

[DrWazzock]

50% direct drilled here. Done where it stands a realistic chance of success.

 

[benferg]

Yeah , but what happens when you don't spray fodder beet?

Generally a stunning crop of fathen [emoji23][emoji23]

 

[benferg]

Yeah , but what happens when you don't spray fodder beet?

Generally a stunning crop of fathen [emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Fuzzy]

Thanks to those who responded to my DD poll, it is not the result i expected to be honest. It does appear that at least in this survey DD is an all or nothing approach for many of you.
The wet season of 2012/2013 was for me a disaster in terms of DD(half the farm in DD) with 30% of the farm crops lost.
I am now at 25% DD and with lessons learn't expect to slowly increase that in the next few years.

 

[db9go]

Thanks to those who responded to my DD poll, it is not the result i expected to be honest. It does appear that at least in this survey DD is an all or nothing approach for many of you.
The wet season of 2012/2013 was for me a disaster in terms of DD(half the farm in DD) with 30% of the farm crops lost.
I am now at 25% DD and with lessons learn't expect to slowly increase that in the next few years.

For what reason did you lose 30% of crops

 

[warksfarmer]

Varies yearly on an almost field by field basis. Anything from 0% to 80% with the balance being in root crops so thats conventional. Theres 27% thats been no tilled for 3 years now but if it wasn't for BG in it, then we would have no issue min tilling it as we see higher yields from cultivated soils without doubt. BUT then your spending extra on machinery passes and herbicides due to the soil movement.

 

[db9go]

Varies yearly on an almost field by field basis. Anything from 0% to 80% with the balance being in root crops so thats conventional. Theres 27% thats been no tilled for 3 years now but if it wasn't for BG in it, then we would have no issue min tilling it as we see higher yields from cultivated soils without doubt. BUT then your spending extra on machinery passes and herbicides due to the soil movement.

I suppose rely which gives the best profit should be the answer

 

[Fuzzy]

For what reason did you lose 30% of crops

The lost crops were Winter Beans and WOSR.
A very wet season, beans drilled mid oct into lees than ideal conditions, they sat in some open slots all winter. The plan was to rake or harrow the fields a few days after drilling when the soil had dried a bit......but the next time we got to the fields was in March !!!!
With the OSR drilled early Sept, too much trash was a haven for slugs and then the excessive rain all winter finished the crop off.