Very Deep Plowing...Why?

[ScottAR]

Renze, Me thinks you've not spent much time in Middle North America. We're farming the first spot and the second spot as well.

The largest rice mill facility in North America is about 30 miles from my doorstep on the far side of the next town. A town of 50,000. During harvest, the trucks form a line all the way across the town while waiting to unload.

 

[Renze]

ScottAR, its not because i've been there, just been in Ontario, Canada...
Maybe its the brag that Dutch emigrants tell, when they visit home...

 

[WilliamBos]

ScottAR, its not because i've been there, just been in Ontario, Canada...
Maybe its the brag that Dutch emigrants tell, when they visit home...

Where in Ontario did you go? My Dad was born in Groningen, and his family migrated to Canada when he was 11.

From what I have heard, the deep plowing is most common in the reclaimed part of NL, but after you do it, you have to re-tile the fields, and it is a 1 time thing.

 

[ScottAR]

Could be Renze...

The sky is hazy the last couple of weeks due to dust from harvesting... The farmers are usually still chattering on the UHF at the store till just before we leave at 9p.m.

Rain should be here on Tues. to help with the dust.

 

[Renze]

Where in Ontario did you go? My Dad was born in Groningen, and his family migrated to Canada when he was 11.

I was at family in Fergus and Brampton. So it was about an hour drive from Pearson airport, Toronto...

From what I have heard, the deep plowing is most common in the reclaimed part of NL, but after you do it, you have to re-tile the fields, and it is a 1 time thing.

They do it on the reclaimed soils, as well as on peat soils to mix peat with lower layers of sand. Peat itself isnt fertile, not much will grow on it untill it is mixed with sand. Farmers exchanged soils for years (in the west, farmers in the peat area, and those in the dune area, exchanged boatloads of dirt in the beginning of this century)

And next to that, to help maintaining the topsoil before and after heavy grading, like described in earlier posts.

 

[Eagleview]

As far as i'm aware we in OZ will deep rip to break the hardpan but don't deep plough as that will bring unsuitable soils to the surface .

 

[peter_vii]

That totally depends on the area: in my area, it would only bring up yellow beach sand that will be blown away in a dry summer... Over here, deep ploughing is only done to dig the topsoil back from under landfill, and on heavy soils like peat or clay.

8-10" in my area, deeper than that you talking yellow subsoil, and lower yields.