Will we be ploughing for re seeding in the future?

[M-J-G]

Dont you think I know that . But you act like ploughing is 100 % , I know from experience is far from it
I probably direct drill for totaly different reasons than you . One of those being the massive stone problem If we plough , the and the massive weed bank you bring up . The cost of having to relevel a flat field that I have spent hours with a leveling board in years gone by to get flat .....

I'm all for not ploughing and I've reseeded with minimal cultivation for about 25 years, that said I've yet to have a ploughed reseed that failed.

Anyhow Mr Carbon aware, are you're grass seed growers ploughing?
Surely the most carbon friendly would be to avoid any cultivation (including those that are required to grow seed) and establish longterm pastures that don't need re-sown as often?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

And you poison the land ...

Does that look like its poisoned

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Never seen a dd grass ley last long , couple of years and it's fo0ked .

That's utter rubbish

 

[bobk]

Does that look like its poisoned View attachment 956599

All the that roundupped crap will recover in 12 weeks .

 

[bobk]

That's utter rubbish

Glad you agree , a ley is for life not 5 minutes

 

[M-J-G]

I regard ploughing a small % to reseed improving my environment and I see over thirty years my soils massive improvement , unlike yourself who wa only the other day saying you will have to change your farming methods as you can’t sustain it in this climate , but going by above graph the climate isn’t really changing at all, but you are right you will have to change your farming method as 100% arable is unsustainable in any climate raping the soil for prolonged periods is as bad as it gets for the environment .

Amen brutha!

 

[M-J-G]

Never seen a dd grass ley last long , couple of years and it's fo0ked .

Suits the boys selling the seed

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I don't make a blind bit of tosh how you make a seedbed as long as seed as contact with the soil . Not planted to deep , and has warmth and moisture it will grow , seed was growing long before any plough or drill was invented

 

[Kevtherev]

Always have a break crop between leys
(Where possible)

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Always have a break crop between leys
(Where possible)

I hope this isn't off topic, but what are the best breaks between grass leys? Is one enough?

 

[Kevtherev]

I hope this isn't off topic, but what are the best breaks between grass leys? Is one enough?

Either a brassica or cereal unless wire worm are present
Lots of options plus it gives you two opportunities for weed control.

 

[Sid]

Does that look like its poisoned View attachment 956599

You have a mono culture of land. Everything I dead bar what you want there

 

[Two Tone]

I thought direct drilling used less diesel than ploughing and has a lower power requirement?

Yes it does. Every acre I DD’d last Autumn used 1/8th the amount of diesel to establish the crop, compared to the plough + combi system. I used the same tractor on the DD drill as I use on the plough and the Combi. That tractor runs at 1500 rpm all day not doing any hard work, compared to when it is ploughing or Combi drilling.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Ok, so the rotting plant matter releases co2 when exposed to the atmosphere by ploughing out.
How is this different to rotting on top if it’s not ploughed in?
Is there an argument to say ploughing buries the carbon under the furrow? Since we’ve ploughed straw in every year, our soils work better, I’ve always considered this to be the organic matter within the soil, put there by ploughing? We are talking extremes- it was burned before so no organic material left anywhere.

Ploughing must bury the carbon but also exposes a load to the atmosphere. I kind of know the answer to your first question but not quite sure how to explain it accurately. Any soil scientists on here?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

You have a mono culture of land. Everything I dead bar what you want there

I shall mention that to the moles and rabbits , but I hope the chickweed is now dead and the docks that had both barrels before I drilled it , ploughing would have gave them a fresh breath of air [emoji23]

 

[Sid]

Yes it does. Every acre I DD’d last Autumn used 1/8th the amount of diesel to establish the crop, compared to the plough + combi system. I used the same tractor on the DD drill as I use on the plough and the Combi. That tractor runs at 1500 rpm all day not doing any hard work, compared to when it is ploughing or Combi drilling.

Diesel is one part.

What about the chemicals used? The slug pellets?

 

[7610 super q]

How much diesel do you use per hectare for ploughing, levelling up and drilling, compared to 3 to 5 litres for my direct drill?

30. Assuming I've converted gallons to litres, and acres to hectares correctly.............

 

[tr250]

What if you've rushy ground, plough is the only answer there.

Or a trencher

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Yes it does. Every acre I DD’d last Autumn used 1/8th the amount of diesel to establish the crop, compared to the plough + combi system. I used the same tractor on the DD drill as I use on the plough and the Combi. That tractor runs at 1500 rpm all day not doing any hard work, compared to when it is ploughing or Combi drilling.

So ploughing uses 8 times more diesel then and emits 8 times more co2 then?

 

[Kevtherev]

Ploughing must bury the carbon but also exposes a load to the atmosphere. I kind of know the answer to your first question but not quite sure how to explain it accurately. Any soil scientists on here?

@Kiwi Pete will know a bit more