A farm-ing question

Anonymous-0 · Apr 15, 2009

Im not a farmer in any sense of the word, but I do live out in the country. I've seen it before but never could remember to ask someone.

Anyway, my question is, Why would someone plow/disk once, maybe twice around the outer area of a field, let it sit for days/a week or more, before doing more work on the field?

Thanks.....don t. .....

showcrop · Apr 15, 2009

Probably being springtime, because of experience and wisdom he decided it was still too wet and likelihood of getting stuck was too great, so he decided to give the water more time to drain away.

usetob · Apr 15, 2009

farmed all my life, the only thing I can think of is to see how good it's going to work up, or they just got bored
Now I want to know!!

dieseldoc · Apr 15, 2009

headlands get more traffic then other parts of field and sometimes you need the moisture to be able to get disk in the ground.

Allan in NE · Apr 15, 2009

You see that out in this country a lot. It's called a fire break.

Allan

Michael Soldan · Apr 15, 2009

Where I am from the outer edge of the field is usually a bit wet from the furrow and as has been suggested the headlands often get packed a bit from the fall harvest..farmers here always made an outside round and left it, using that round for information on how moist the soil was..here "Opening up the field" was exactly that

Anonymous-0 · Apr 15, 2009

showcrop had the best answer to agree with plow it let it set to dry and air into turned grass to forment then disk a few day later to chop up soil for nice bed if you disk right after plowing your defeting the purose of plowing

bradk · Apr 15, 2009

Heaviest traffic is in the headlands or the outer edges.Just trying to loosen up the soil.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 15, 2009

In our area the brome grass in the ditches and fence lines will creep into the fields relentlessly and choke out any new crops trying to get established. The grass grows fast and lush early in the season and a disking will set back the grass and warm the soil so when the crops are planted they take off fast enough to ensure survival until the first herbicide spray is done.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 15, 2009

Along with all those other reasonable answers I would offer up that he may have broke down, or something more important came up.

paul · Apr 15, 2009

What could come up that is more important? Spring on the farm, get the crop in the ground right. You only get 40-50 chances in your whole life....

--->Paul

Anonymous-0 · Apr 15, 2009

Oh I don't know them all,but some inclue, going to work at the job that lets me farm, meeting with bankers, calfing issues, FSA issues, with everyone else in the community throwing sand bags by the river because it is going to crest 42 feet above flood levels, wife having a baby, being called up by the National Guard and praying my brother finishes for me, dads kidney disease, jury duty notice, ect... I feel that those are important and I wish I had 40 to 50 chances to accomplish them also, except for my wife having anouther baby. Farming can wait, I can always plant millet.

paul · Apr 15, 2009

I was typing out a reply, but it wasn't coming off good.

If your only income depended on farming, you probably would have something else lined up to get the work done for the for-seeable items in your list.

For the unforseeable ones, it would be rare for all of them to happen exactly after you make one or 2 rounds around the field. Every time.

There are good reasons to get interupted while farming - you have a good list, but your list doesn't quite fit the setup of this thread?

I was thinking kinda narrow when I replied, didn't mean it as a dig or knock. It would be odd for interuption after interuption to hit after just one round in the field.

--->Paul

John B. · Apr 15, 2009

Some farmers have hired hands and this is how they mark the boundaries of their acres so the hired hand don't go into the neighboring fields.

Most of all your weeds are at the outer edge of the field and hit early in the spring then let go to see if they regrow and hit them again will take care of the weed problems sometimes.

These are the two reasons I've done it in years past.

Bob · Apr 15, 2009

BINGO!

Anonymous-0 · Apr 15, 2009

Paul, I would never be dependent on the my farms for my only income. That is what the Fire Dept I work for is for. The original poster did say that he never had seen that activity before. All those things have happened to me at one time or anouther. They didn't always happen on my first trip around the field , but they, and so much more, could have. They are just reasons that could have come up on the first trip around the field. I ,as a a farmer, have always found it to difficult to "line up" that stuff around the weather, something I need to do when I put in my vacation leave requests in January. Given the original poster said that he never had seen it before, I am not sure where your "odd for an interruption to hit after just the first round in the field" fits? If you never have been interrupted during planting I congradulate you on your good fortune. I fear for you though,that in those 40 or 50 oppertunities you may be interrupted by something more important.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 16, 2009

There is an older gent down the road who has done this every year since we've moved out this way. Over the years I've noticed others have done the same. I kinda thought it may have had to do w/soil compaction but I wasn't sure. The other replies make sense as well.

Thanks for helping me learn something today.
Regards.....don t. .....

dwrk · Apr 16, 2009

I always do the headlands first so that when I fall asleep on the tractor, I hit the worked ground going crossways and it wakes me up before I hit the woods. Probably a breakdown or too wet after that.

greenbeanman in Kansas · Apr 16, 2009

I haven't farmed now for a couple of decades but I ask--is it too early to work the perimeter to kill downy brome and mustard? I suppose it might depend upon where you live.
Downy brome grass

jack harmon · Apr 16, 2009

for all the reasons listed below,and to make absolutely certain your equipment is ready to work ,when you need it.lots of time around here its for a firebreak just in case.MIGHT slow it down long enough to stop it from burning a whole field.

A farm-ing question

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Similar threads