Help flatten our fields!!!

[FoxTailsManor]

Please forgive our new-ness to both TBN and farming in general...

We recently purchased a large parcel in VA and plan to produce our own hay (orchard grass). We've gone through all kinds of soil testing and have added the proper nutients to support this crop.

As a bit of background, we have approx. 30 tillable acres to be used. Previously (as in up to one year ago), this space was planted in soy bean. As we are wanting to convert to pasture (for horses) and hay, we would like to eliminate the "ridges" left from prior planting.

We've spoken to everyone under the sun (it seems) about the proper implements for smoothing our fields. We've been given mixed signals, with some folks saying the best route is a roller (but will that hard pack?) and some pointing more towards a cultimulcher (to prepare more of a seed ready surface). Any ideas???

We are currently operating a 50HP Kubota, so any implement would need to be small enough to be run off of this...though we'd all love fewer passes!

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!

 

[dynasim]

I would use a disk. Definitely do not use any sort of packer, as nothing of use will grow for a long time(the roots need air, and water flow, which a packer eliminates).

I have seen small disks for your tractor size at rental stores if you want to rent one, or you could buy one at your local urban ag store for ~600. However, if there are farmers in the area, they will likely do it for not much money. For a 100 hp tractor, it is less than 4 hours per pass, with maybe 2 passes, with the correct equipment.

When farmers plant in tilled ground, the land is normally very flat, and all of the previously crops ridges are gone. You would want to go through the same process that they do.

good luck.
Chris

 

[FoxTailsManor]

Thanks! We have a disk and plan to continue using that (agressive to less agressive) to turn the soil prior to planting. Our issue is the level-ness factor...there are still ridges. Might a drag harrow be a viable solution, following the less agressive disk passes?

 

[Duffster]

Thanks! We have a disk and plan to continue using that (agressive to less agressive) to turn the soil prior to planting. Our issue is the level-ness factor...there are still ridges. Might a drag harrow be a viable solution, following the less agressive disk passes?

A harrow otherwise your disc needs to be adjusted.

OTOH it doesn't need to be perfectly level or smooth.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

The task at hand is ideal for a disc. Get a decnt one that your tractor can handle, cut once, then again at a different angle. On that second pass, pull some sort of drag behind the disc to create a good level seedbed. Plant, then use a cultipacker to firm (but NOT "pack") seedbed. Grass doesn't need, nor does it like a deep, loose, fluffy seedbed. With that in mind, a disc working @ 2" to 3" will give you a more than acceptable result.

 

[MMagis]

We've been given mixed signals, with some folks saying the best route is a roller (but will that hard pack?)

Definitely do not use any sort of packer, as nothing of use will grow for a long time(the roots need air, and water flow, which a packer eliminates).

There seems to be some confusion as to just what a cultipacker does. It certainly won't create hardpan, and it won't eliminate water or air flow. As mentioned, a fluffy seed bed is bad for a variety of reasons. A cultipacker simply firms the seed bed, as well as creating ridges that help minimize erosion and retain some moisture.
The disk/harrow combo sounds like the best plan. If possible, perhaps disking perpendicular to the ridges may help smooth things faster.

 

[flusher]

Please forgive our new-ness to both TBN and farming in general...

We recently purchased a large parcel in VA and plan to produce our own hay (orchard grass). We've gone through all kinds of soil testing and have added the proper nutients to support this crop.

As a bit of background, we have approx. 30 tillable acres to be used. Previously (as in up to one year ago), this space was planted in soy bean. As we are wanting to convert to pasture (for horses) and hay, we would like to eliminate the "ridges" left from prior planting.

We've spoken to everyone under the sun (it seems) about the proper implements for smoothing our fields. We've been given mixed signals, with some folks saying the best route is a roller (but will that hard pack?) and some pointing more towards a cultimulcher (to prepare more of a seed ready surface). Any ideas???

We are currently operating a 50HP Kubota, so any implement would need to be small enough to be run off of this...though we'd all love fewer passes!

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!

I'd use the Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto) with my wheel disc (13-ft tandem reduced to about 10-ft wide by removing some of the outer pans so the 5525 can handle it) and attach 5 or 6 tires to the disc to drag the soil smooth.

Then firm up the soil with my 10-ft cultipacker.

Paid $600 for each of these implements. Tires were freebies from a neighbor.

 

[FoxTailsManor]

Excellent! I think we're on the right track now. Thanks so much!

 

[tessiers]

Depending on how high and wide the ridges are I have had little to no luck discing my property with the same problem, what I end up with after many hours of discing and scaping is a high hard spot and a low very soft spot. I tried rototilling 1 acre and got better although not perfect results. The best luck I have had is to plow and the harrow the entire area and then grade and or drag to levelness I then had to harrow the entire area a second time and then went over it wit a cultipacker. Mine was previously potato rows and some of the ridges were quite high but I have gotten most of it back to pretty good condition. How good it needs to be depends on the size of your equipment and your intended use. If you are going to hay it with big equipment it needs to be reasonably flat, if its just pasture it will probably work as is.

I only have about 100 hours per acre in mine, hope you have better luck. LOL!!!

 

[Rara Avis]

Get yourself a Martens...
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