Can't catch a break

flying belgian · Jun 11, 2019

If you recall I do some custom organic farming for the neighbor. This is in So. central Mn. You have to do some sort of tillage every 4 days from the time the weeds first start
coming in spring until the crop is to big to drive a tractor through. Already this spring I have been over it 4 times with field cult. Went over it 4th. time last night with
intention of planting corn today. Wouldn't you know it, started raining this morning and been sprinkling off and on all day. More rain forecast for tonight so no planting tomorrow.
So you know what that means? You guessed it. Work it again with field cult. before planting. Then 4 days after planting, drag it. Then 4 days after that rotary hoe. 4 days after
that rotary hoe again. Then start with the cultivator every 4 days until corn is to big. I spend more time on that 80 acres then I do on my 400. I'm not complaining though, he pays
me well. I just don't see how someone can turn out organic farming when you hire it custom farmed.

Lazy WP · Jun 11, 2019

You need a flamer. I know nothing about organic farming other then I haul a lot of organic grain.
Flamer

oldtanker · Jun 11, 2019

(quoted from post at 17:27:52 06/11/19) If you recall I do some custom organic farming for the neighbor. This is in So. central Mn. You have to do some sort of tillage every 4 days from the time the weeds first start
coming in spring until the crop is to big to drive a tractor through. Already this spring I have been over it 4 times with field cult. Went over it 4th. time last night with
intention of planting corn today. Wouldn't you know it, started raining this morning and been sprinkling off and on all day. More rain forecast for tonight so no planting tomorrow.
So you know what that means? You guessed it. Work it again with field cult. before planting. Then 4 days after planting, drag it. Then 4 days after that rotary hoe. 4 days after
that rotary hoe again. Then start with the cultivator every 4 days until corn is to big. I spend more time on that 80 acres then I do on my 400. I'm not complaining though, he pays
me well. I just don't see how someone can turn out organic farming when you hire it custom farmed.

Don't know. Only guy I know who does organic is milking 80 head and buys organic corn. He's been organic almost 20 years so it must pay.

Rick

gab · Jun 11, 2019

There's three brothers around here that are doing the organic thing and been buying more land. They bought about 130 acres last fall across the road from me, think my neighbor said about 10 grand/acre. Anyway a few days less than a month ago one of them pulled in to the field with a JD 4840 and big disc., made a couple laps across the field and it started raining hard so he parked for a few days then took it away. Last night was the forth time he's pulled in and been

rained out, don't know if he got it done this time or not.
Another guy to my east disked a half section Sunday and a dairy farmer to my south looks like he might be done.
We were in towards Chicago today and seen a quite a few planters running but a lot of big fields look pretty wet yet.

Bruce from Can. · Jun 11, 2019

Organic farming can seem to be also called diesel fuel farming.

paul · Jun 11, 2019

The rain was supposed to come at noon or a little after, came at 7:00am instead.

I remember when dad farmed without herbicides, it was interesting keeping after the weeds. Lots and lots of trips over the fields.

Paul

SVcummins · Jun 12, 2019

Must be money in it somewhere. I do a lot of custom farming for an organic guy and he pays what ever I charge . Row crops i Can see how it can work but small grains are terrible to try to keep weeds out of you can rotary hoe a few times but after the grain gets about a foot tall you can?t do much . I?ve swathed grain to combine that had rag weeds as big as trees in it that can be fun to try and combine

Traditional Farmer · Jun 12, 2019

Yea like its only the organic guys that can't get planted this year because of the rain?(LOL)Must be some farmers somewhere with the skills and smarts to grow organic,
Whole Foods and Trader Joes shelves are full of organic food.

Traditional Farmer · Jun 12, 2019

Back when I was a kid all the farmers in my area raised small gains of some type with no chemicals and we combined them just fine a few weeds in a wet year but not many.
Guess farmers back then knew something many today apparently don't.

BarnyardEngineering · Jun 12, 2019

Only the organic farmers are burning thousands of gallons of diesel fuel, wearing out their equipment, blowing tons of pollution into the air, going over and over their ground, throwing their topsoil up into the air to blow away in the wind.

There is a middle ground.

WGM · Jun 12, 2019

All farmers, conventional and organic, were getting rained out this year.

SVcummins · Jun 12, 2019

I think most of the weed pressure on the organic dairy came from not composting the manure

flying belgian · Jun 12, 2019

I have nothing against organic farming. I could care less. I just don't know how this guy can make any money at it by hiring everything done.

Traditional Farmer · Jun 12, 2019

I don't know about dairies but in my area the poultry operations have to compost the manure under cover for a certain amount of time before it can be spread.

SVcummins · Jun 12, 2019

I think that was a lot of our weed problems . This other guy I do a lot of custom work for has some weed problems but nothing like the dairy did . The main problem is weeds like morning glory once it gets started you almost can?t stop it

Can't catch a break

flying belgian

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Lazy WP

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oldtanker

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gab

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Bruce from Can.

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paul

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SVcummins

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Traditional Farmer

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Traditional Farmer

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BarnyardEngineering

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WGM

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SVcummins

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flying belgian

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Traditional Farmer

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