My property tour

[jlane35]

If I could get an implement that would equally cover beans/corn/small grains/clover chicory/chicory/brassicas, I’d spend the money. For what I’m doing, broadcasting works good enough...but at the cost time and tilling the top 4” of soil. I have thought hard about a 3 row to no-till corn planter with plates for corn and beans and a Woods super seeder with 3 boxes....but haven’t pulled the trigger.

We have a Belco conservation seeder. I have it calibrated for beans. Unfortunately I was never able to plant enough acres of beans to get ahead of the browsing. I didn’t have time to calibrate it for buckwheat so we just did it the old fashioned way. Although there isn’t much difference with the seeded we have. We still have to disc it just spreads, covers and cultipacks all in one pass. I believe that’s what the wood seeder does too.

 

[jlane35]

I'm predicting more new affordable notill planter designs coming out for large ATV's and compact tractors in the next few years. There is a growing market for these things that will not go unnoticed.

I thought no tills worked bc of how heavy they are? How could they make smaller ones for smaller tractors and ATV’s? Would they cut through the soil?

 

[jlane35]

Well, there are two less buckwheat seed eaters off our place, and it could have been three. My Uncle went back to back yesterday and today. A beautiful bird with inch spurs and a 10 inch beard. And 3/4 inch spurs with an 8 inch beard.

My father missed a nice one in the clover field heading to the buckwheat last night.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I thought no tills worked bc of how heavy they are? How could they make smaller ones for smaller tractors and ATV’s? Would they cut through the soil?

RGrizzzz just posted about his new RTP Genesis 3, this would be a great question for him... For comparisons sake, the weight of the unit is divided by the number of row openers in the ground. My 10' gp drill weighs 4300 lbs and I pull it with a 75 hp tractor so divide 10 and multiply X 3; for a 3' drill for an atv or compact tractor to be comparable the drill would weigh 1290 lbs, and the tractor horsepower would be 22.5.
The RTP Genesis 3 weighs 1188 lbs and calls for an 800 atv or 30 hp tractor, so this seems to reasonably compare with a heavy duty AG drill as far as having the same weight on each opener. https://www.rtpoutdoors.com/genesis

 

[RGrizzzz]

RGrizzzz just posted about his new RTP Genesis 3, this would be a great question for him... For comparisons sake, the weight of the unit is divided by the number of row openers in the ground. My 10' gp drill weighs 4300 lbs and I pull it with a 75 hp tractor so divide 10 and multiply X 3; for a 3' drill for an atv or compact tractor to be comparable the drill would weigh 1290 lbs, and the tractor horsepower would be 22.5.
The RTP Genesis 3 weighs 1188 lbs and calls for an 800 atv or 30 hp tractor, so this seems to reasonably compare with a heavy duty AG drill as far as having the same weight on each opener. https://www.rtpoutdoors.com/genesis

It's plenty heavy for the 5 rows it plants.

 

[Mennoniteman]

It's plenty heavy for the 5 rows it plants.

Yes, I was surprised that the math shows about the same downpressure per row on this ATV pulled notill planter as a 20 foot wide commercial unit has. Very impressive.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Yes, I was surprised that the math shows about the same downpressure per row on this ATV pulled notill planter as a 20 foot wide commercial unit has. Very impressive.

I'd be pretty hesitant to pull this with an ATV. We use a 46HP tractor.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I'd be pretty hesitant to pull this with an ATV. We use a 46HP tractor.

I was incorrect, they advertise that the RTP Genesis 3 is able to be pulled with an 800 cc UTV, not ATV, which generally means a side by side. I'd be curious to hear from someone who's planted something with this unit pulled by a UTV.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Je

I was incorrect, they advertise that the RTP Genesis 3 is able to be pulled with an 800 cc UTV, not ATV, which generally means a side by side. I'd be curious to hear from someone who's planted something with this unit pulled by a UTV.

Jeff Sturgis had a video or two on YouTube planting with a UTV a few years ago. You need the wheel kit to move it around if you're using a UTV. I think it added about $3000 to the price.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Je

Jeff Sturgis had a video or two on YouTube planting with a UTV a few years ago. You need the wheel kit to move it around if you're using a UTV. I think it added about $3000 to the price.

$3000 for a set of wheels, axles, and mounting hardware? They must have gold plated rims?

 

[RGrizzzz]

$3000 for a set of wheels, axles, and mounting hardware? They must have gold plated rims?

It's a pretty substantial kit. The wheel kit is hydraulic, and it adds a frame for towing, that connects to the 3 pt hitch area. You can see it in this Youtube video I found.

 

[jlane35]

First fawn picture of the year. The clover is really coming in strong in its 2nd year.

 

[Mennoniteman]

It's a pretty substantial kit. The wheel kit is hydraulic, and it adds a frame for towing, that connects to the 3 pt hitch area. You can see it in this Youtube video I found.

The video shows what the wheels look like but didn't show the UTV actually raising it or planting with it, which was somewhat disappointing. I want to see this thing in operation with a utv and showing the planting depth and soil type.

 

[jlane35]

The bees were buzzing and lots of other bugs were flying and hopping around in the clover field. We will be cutting it this weekend. We’ve had rain the last few days and some more coming this week so it should be in good shape.

 

[jlane35]

The buckwheat is growing. It should start taking off here shortly. Some spots are sparse and others are should fill in nicely.

 

[jlane35]

I’ve never planted chufa before and I believe this is it popping up. Maybe it should have been planted heavier and there is a decent amount of weeds in the field but I could spray the weeds from my understanding.

 

[jlane35]

I haven’t been to our place as of recently but I do love the cellular game cameras. It keeps me up to date and I can watch the plots and animals in real time.

The clover plot is staying active and has grown nicely since being mowed. The photos of the pheasant are the day after mowing and about a week later.
The bachelor group of buck have been visiting every night.

 

[jlane35]

The buckwheat is growing very nice and the turkeys are practically living in it. Unfortunately I have yet to see a picture of a hen with poults. We had a down year for turkeys this year and it looks like next year will be the same way.
At least the future of the deer herd is looking heathy.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Is that your buckwheat behind the deer? You've got to address predators for a healthy turkey population. Do you have fishers there? They are hard on turkeys. Plus coon and possum on the eggs. Your mowed clover looks like a success.

 

[jlane35]

Yes that’s the buckwheat behind the Fawn and turkey. We have had a trapper on our place the last few years. Last year he caught 9 coyotes and 3 raccoons. Luckily no fisher yet but a place I run snowshoe hares with my beagles 25 miles away have lots of Fisher.

This is the buckwheat just now. and the clover a few minutes ago.