How much tillage?

John 37A · Jan 25, 2015

I am entering my second year row crop farming. Last year was all soybeans using a JDVB drill. This year I am going to plant my first corn crop, and have spent the last couple months looking for a planter. I have my mind set on a John Deere 7000, either 4 or 6 row. I am also open to dry or liquid starter, but I think liquid would be easier to store.

My question is, if I get a conventional planter, how much tillage is required to use this planter? Ideally, I would find a no-till or conservation planter, but they're hard to find or out of my price range. I have a moldboard plow, chisel plow, disk and harrow. I was considering trying to make a small vertical tillage tool also.

John

casecollectorsc · Jan 25, 2015

Soybean ground going to corn I go over with a field cultivator in the fall and disc with a drag behind in the spring and plant.

Leroy · Jan 25, 2015

You are just missing the one item that you should have and that is a field cultivator with a spike harrow on back. Depending on ground and model of field cultivator 1 or 2 passes on bean ground and plant.

1370 pwr in ne · Jan 25, 2015

We use a jd 7000 and plant no till into bean stubble every year.Our planter has a rolling coulter mounted just ahead of the true v disc to cut the long trash up.The only place I have germination problems is where there is heavy trash.Combining the bean field at a angle an having a chopper and spreader will help a lot.If you have to much trash then you may have to disc it and plant.If its flat land maybe you could use furrow openers real lightly.

hoosierhog · Jan 25, 2015

We disced last years corn stubble and planted beans right into that.
you could mold board plow then disc then plant you could chisel
and then harrow. I have seen guys just use the field cultivator on
been stubble and plant into that. by the way we use a 4 row IH
plate planter and a 6 row 7000 deere (conventional planter). I think
you are making a wise choice in the 7000 planter and you are well
equipped. good luck

paul · Jan 25, 2015

What kind of soil and what climate do you have? Here it is too
wet and to cold to do notill.

And too much clay.

But in bean stubble, if you don't have the clay I do, a single
field cultivator pass would do.

Paul

showcrop · Jan 25, 2015

You should be checking around with neighbors to see what the soil is like, and about what sort of tillage has been done on the land. Corn in some conditions needs to go deep for water, necessitating some chiseling.

big jt · Jan 25, 2015

I am in NW Iowa. First couple years I did no till
/ Strip till I was using a deere 7000 straight up
no attachments

Worked just fine, just make sure you are getting
the depth and coverage needed.

jt

big jt · Jan 25, 2015

OH yeah like the others said climate is huge. We get a pretty good frost here most winters and that does ten times more that diesel fuel burners (deep tillage tools) around these parts.

If you don't get a good frost then no till will take some special equipment.

jt

Deere Scotty · Jan 25, 2015

I'd like more info; like what is Your price range, & how many acres? If You were doing 10 acres, what I would say would be a lot different than say 100, or even 50. You can buy a usable 7000 conservation for under $4000. I just saw a couple on ebay, & saw a few advertised in a local farm magazine as well. A few under $4000 on "tractorhouse.com" as well. Planters are probably going to be cheaper this year due to low grain prices! John Deere is laying off people right now.

Allan in NE · Jan 26, 2015

That 7000 will plant in about anything; tillage or no. One heck of a planter.

Allan

tomstractorsandtoys · Jan 26, 2015

You do not have to have a 7000 conservation planter to notill corn. I have a 7200 standard frame planter and do lots of notill both corn and soybeans. We installed heavy duty down pressure springs with the T handle so they can be adjusted easy(cost $100 per row). We also use a yetter notill coulter row cleaner combo(cost $75 per row + I installed new coulter and bearings).We also run one cast closing wheel and one spike tooth wheel.We plant 100a. of corn and 50a. of soybeans(Really 100a. of beans because we split the rows to give us 19 inch rows). Unless your feilds lay wet or your soil is very cold there is little reason to till last years bean ground going to corn this year. But I will admit that I do enjoy tillage and do to much sometimes. Tom

John 37A · Jan 26, 2015

Thanks for all the good replies. A lot of useful info here. Around here it's mostly clay-loam ground. We get a pretty decent frost, but a lot of corn gets planted in April. Most guys around here are either disking or some sort of a field cultivator in the fall or spring to get ready. I am figuring on at least that, but with a more than full time job and several side jobs, I don't have a lot of time to plow everything. I didn't know what I would get myself into if I end up buying an older conventional planter.

770puller · Jan 27, 2015

Check out the one I posted for sale it's under 7000 6-30

Plowboy1 · Jan 27, 2015

I don't know much about planting, but you could check with your local Farm Bureau or Co Op and see if they have a unit to borrow or rent. Problem is everybody generally wants to use it at the same time.

John 37A · Jan 27, 2015

Our Soil and Water office has a no-till drill for rent, as well as lime spreaders, but no planter. I thought about having someone else plant it, but that takes the fun away. I'm doing this because I like it (and to learn).

How much tillage?

John 37A

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casecollectorsc

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Leroy

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1370 pwr in ne

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hoosierhog

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paul

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showcrop

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big jt

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big jt

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Deere Scotty

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Allan in NE

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John 37A

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John 37A

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