No till planters: who has used them?

[Turkish]

We have around 5 acres that we’d like to do more with in the way of summer plots, for deer and, maybe, doves. About 2-3 of these are used as fall plots also. We’ve mostly moved to a throw and mow program, but have a 34 HP 4wd tractor. I have it in my head that a no till 2-row planter would really make our summertime planting’s go better. Soybeans, peas, sorghum, sunflower, and maybe corn are the crops I’d like to use with the planter. The land is reclaimed cow pasture, some with decent slope.

We’ve considered a bigger tractor and renting a no till drill, but that may not be in the cards for a few years. Do the 2-row planters with no till coulters work well with these crops, into terminated cereal grains? Will I be disappointed? I also hear the IH 800s do well used this way.

If I get one, it’ll likely be one of the refurbs online that go for $2-3k. They seem to be in short supply in my area, and I want to make sure to have one by next spring.

 

[bigbluetruck]

From what Ive seen of the refurbed ones, look for one that's built out of a John Deere 7000 series, those would be the simplest and best for no till. http://www.ksfarmsmfg.com/index.html have some nice ones. Not sure if its a big deal for you, but the finger pickup (the seed metering system on most JD 7000s) meter works great for corn, but lack a bit on soybeans and especially on sorghums like milo. Not sure if anyone built a plate planter with the newer and better style of double disk openers like on the 7000s. The plate planter would be even simpler than the finger meters.

My only issue with all these food plot planters, and maybe its a bit of jealousy lol, is that a lot of times these planters can be bought for little of nothing, and usually theyre in decent shape, but just outdated for modern agriculture. Then they take them and cut them up, fix a few things on them and then sell a single plot planter for more than they spent on the whole big planter! I'm finding this with my little drill project, as far as $ invested, its fairly low, depending on how you price your labor. If I get what I'm thinking for the other half of my drill, Ill easily cover all my expenses on both drills and my labor. I'm just jealous that I didn't think of it first lol

Edit: After doing a little research, it looks like by the time they made the double disk openers the plate meters were long gone. The last plate planter made that Dad or I can think of was Buffalo, they were built for high residue like no till, but they are very heavy and fairly complicated with lots of adjustments, which is great if you know what youre doing, but for a first timer it might be a whole lot of headache. Buffalo no longer makes planters and there weren't a whole lot of them made, but Schaffert Mfg may have parts for them, they rebuild a lot of Buffalo stuff. Heres a couple like what I'm talking about https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/23610213/buffalo-4r https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/25073803/buffalo-4500. Not all Buffalos were plate planters though

I know where theres one in great shape, and someday I'm gonna buy it and build a plot planter for food plots and fill ins on our crop fields.

 

[Turkish]

I hear you about the cost of them. I guess I look at it like this: I do t have them time or ability to cut one down, so the 2-row cost is what it is.

The IH 800s have double disc openers and use plates, as I understand.

 

[bigbluetruck]

I hear you about the cost of them. I guess I look at it like this: I do t have them time or ability to cut one down, so the 2-row cost is what it is.

The IH 800s have double disc openers and use plates, as I understand.

I thought the 800s were Cyclo? Maybe that's a different 800. Granted this is all long before my time (Im only 30) lol

I was mistaken, JD did build a double disk plate planter, it's a 7100

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[FarmerD]

For your consideration only ...... I have medium deer density and I quit planting 5 acres of summer food plots. The reason, in year 1, I thought I had it made! I was the food plot King, planting cowpeas and soybeans. The deer left them alone till they flowered, then started to eat on them. Year 2, they wiped everything out, as soon as they got out of the ground. I had 5 acres of weeds.

So, now, my planter just gets dusted off, once in a while, mainly to plant "screen".

My fall plantings now consist a cereal grain, crimson clover (but I will switch to a frosty berseem this year, to try), a white clover, sometimes Arrowleaf, but I used Advantage Ladino last fall (which is part of Whitetail Institutes blend) and a medium red clover. Also, daikon radishes and purple top turnips (for the hunters). This lasts me just about 12 months.

Deer are in the plots all the time and for the last 3 years, have not had to spend the money on a summer plot. I pull deer from the neighbors all the time.

Just for consideration, but maybe stepping up your TnM game with a used sickle bar mower, might be a good idea?

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[weekender21]

I love that plan FarmerD. Would broadcasting buckwheat in May or June for additional summer groceries help out ? Just curious if you’ve tried it?

I’m starting a new plot or plots in September and plan to no till broadcast a mix similar to what you mentioned. Plus pellet lime, my PH is 5.6.


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[FarmerD]

Buckwheat is good for the soil, but I have never found it to be a great food source for deer. Others may have a different opinion, but you can certainly try or broadcast cowpeas in there. Deer love cowpeas. Clover has always been king for me, perennials or annuals, but both have their place. My mix is kind of an off shoot of the Cadillac Combo , below and the pictures are from my plots, less than 30 days ago. Deer are in them, still being fed protein and have never missed a beat, from last October. No downtime because I never worked up the ground and replanted. Again, this is for a food plot in the southeast.

Radishes, wheat, crimson and turnips have been long gone and what's left right now, is the Advantage Ladino and Medium red clovers.

 

[Turkish]

For your consideration only ...... I have medium deer density and I quit planting 5 acres of summer food plots. The reason, in year 1, I thought I had it made! I was the food plot King, planting cowpeas and soybeans. The deer left them alone till they flowered, then started to eat on them. Year 2, they wiped everything out, as soon as they got out of the ground. I had 5 acres of weeds.

So, now, my planter just gets dusted off, once in a while, mainly to plant "screen".

My fall plantings now consist a cereal grain, crimson clover (but I will switch to a frosty berseem this year, to try), a white clover, sometimes Arrowleaf, but I used Advantage Ladino last fall (which is part of Whitetail Institutes blend) and a medium red clover. Also, daikon radishes and purple top turnips (for the hunters). This lasts me just about 12 months.

Deer are in the plots all the time and for the last 3 years, have not had to spend the money on a summer plot. I pull deer from the neighbors all the time.

Just for consideration, but maybe stepping up your TnM game with a used sickle bar mower, might be a good idea?

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I welcome any advice, so, above all, thanks for your participation.

I can fence at least 1 acre, which I probably would for sunflowers for dove. I wouldn’t mind doubling that. Now, maybe I should give one more attempt to TnM, maybe with more red and white clover thrown in, but our summers in S MS usually dry the clover up pretty efficiently.

Do you no till with yours? Just for my education, how well does it work?

 

[FarmerD]

Well, I do feel your pain with the dry summers, as we have them too. I'm in middle Georgia.

I have perennial clover plots, that will go dormant, sometimes crispy brown, in the summer, but so far, the medium red, with a deeper root system, carries me through, till September. Medium red clover is a biennial.

I have 12 acres of plots. I leave "some" standing from the previous year and just over seed. The reason for that, is a couple of years ago, we tilled up everything and planted the end of September and never got another rain till late November. Our food plots germinated in December, so, I will always have "something" to feed the deer, early on.

I do till, but only once a year now.

I would suggest you look at a berseem clover, which is quick growing in the fall and less cold tolerant (but we don't care in the south), Advantage Ladino, which whitetail Institute uses and Ocoee Clover, if you can find it close by and some medium red. Throw in a mix of cereal grains around 40 lbs/acre, some daikon radishes and maybe turnips.

This is (mostly) what that will look like, for you the end of October, with proper moisture

 

[Turkish]

Are you saying the plot in the picture was planted the previous fall? It dried up and resprouted after it got some Fall precipitation.

 

[FarmerD]

I am saying the plot in post #7 was planted last fall. The turnips and radishes are gone. I killed off the wheat in April, with a weed wiper to release the clover. The crimson clover died off in late April and what is left is the Advantage Ladino clover and Medium Red Clover. All I did to that plot, which started out looking like post #9, was use a weed wiper on it. It just kept growing, producing and feeding deer, all along.

No downtime. Feed, since last October.

 

[Turkish]

Ok. I had the chronology of the 2 pix backward. That’s why I asked. And will you replant any cereal grains mix this fall in that? If so, what’s your method? Disking?

 

[FarmerD]

Some of what you see standing right there, will be left standing, because the Advantage Ladino is a perennial clover and the Medium Red is a biennial clover. I could just broadcast more wheat (and or brassicas) in it and just leave it be. In any event, if we have a fall drought, I will still have some of that still standing. I won't mow it.

Then some of it will be worked up again with a disc and replanted with a mix, that will add some fall attraction, like the wheat, oats, more clover, radishes, turnips and I have some free soybeans, that I will put in there too.

So, once again, that's a plot, in the southeast, that gives good fall attraction and can feed the deer for almost 12 months. One expense.

 

[FarmerD]

And, I only plant it in late September or early October, to get out of the army worm cycle and to have my new crop, young and tender, after the deer have gorged themselves on acorns.

 

[Satguy]

I bought this Allis charmers refurb for$1200 2 years ago and works fine. I do till first as it gets better results closing the trench on the seeds.


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