I am trying to get my courage up to go no-till wheat for my neighbor.
It didn't freeze last night as planned and it will be just a tad on slippery side.
I stated the risks in this project.
1. Slugs eating the wheat as it sprouts
2. Cold wet soil and slow germination
3. Me getting stuck and leaving huge ruts in the field
They said that the slugs were under control, they understood that wheat planted by a Great Plains drill just jumped out of the ground, (actually that is a pretty liberal paraphrase) and they had a big enough tractor to pull me out.
I worked past dark last night.
While finishing the corners in one field by the light of my home-built GPS unit I was focusing on the screen and not looking out the window and nearly hit an oak tree in the process of nearly getting stuck. But, I was able to hit the differential lock and raise the drill just enough to keep the front coulters from bulldozing at about the same time as the out of seed alarm went off and so I went home.
This morning I shall finish the field or bury the tractor to the belly pan and spend five hours digging it out with a shovel while the farmer finds someone with a 350hp articulated fourwheel drive tractor and a logging cable.
Whether this is better than my original plan of digging a ditch at Muddy Valley and loading the last of my hay out of the barn at Gopher Valley remains to be seen...
Have a nice day.
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You make me feel lucky; tractor won't start and all my tillage implements are frozen down.
ReplyDeleteIt is for the best...you can BBQ large fish and fiddle the winter away.
DeleteTractors and field work are just distant memories or hope for the future here. I haven't even started the snow blower tractor to clear my driveway yet. STill plowing through in 4x4 and winter tires when I need to get out. So why burn up non renewable resources by running the snowblower? Thats my lazy farmer logic for today anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat is why rocking chairs and lazy-boy recliners were invented!
DeleteGlad to see that you and Ralph each have a plan. You know what they say, "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail." Keep up the good work guys! (As for collieguy and me, well it's probably about time to throw another log on the fire.)
ReplyDeleteGorges, winter is the time to toast your feet by the fire and drink hot chocolate. It doesn't really seem to work that way, other than in distant memories, but it is good to have goals.
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