plough

[Paul Palmer]

on min till farms do they still keep a plough in case of blackgrass or is this dealt with by spraying,the last farm i was on was min till,we still had a plough but that was used to plough a field after a ploughing match,it was never used,apart from that

[MJB1]

the last big farm i worked on paul we kept the ploughs although a tive drill & discs were the prefered machines not through choice but practical reasons , the ground was a mixture of chalk & stoney brash, very abrasive on wearing parts , so abrasive it was cheaper to but a new machine each year than to replace the actual disc's themselves , we had 3 ploughs, 2, 4f rev overum & 1, 5f rev kvernland, due to the tight budget the manager was set , not enough spray was used so always had re-occuring problems with black grass so the ploughs had to be used on the acres where the winter cropping would be .

we had 3 ploughs so that at least two would be running while the other was in the workshop re-fitting worn tips,  a good day ploughing would wear a set of reversable tips in a couple of days 

[Deere-est]

I guess it can also depend on the investment required for the min till gear. If they have a relatively new plough it may be a valuable asset to trade in for the change in methods. If it is a bit older, the farmer may see it as being worth more to him than it is to trade...

[Paul Palmer]

the last big farm i worked on paul we kept the ploughs although a tive drill & discs were the prefered machines not through choice but practical reasons , the ground was a mixture of chalk & stoney brash, very abrasive on wearing parts , so abrasive it was cheaper to but a new machine each year than to replace the actual disc's themselves , we had 3 ploughs, 2, 4f rev overum & 1, 5f rev kvernland, due to the tight budget the manager was set , not enough spray was used so always had re-occuring problems with black grass so the ploughs had to be used on the acres where the winter cropping would be .

we had 3 ploughs so that at least two would be running while the other was in the workshop re-fitting worn tips,  a good day ploughing would wear a set of reversable tips in a couple of days 

exactly what i was looking for,so the plough was still used where blackgrass was a problem,thanks marcus

[Paul Palmer]

I guess it can also depend on the investment required for the min till gear. If they have a relatively new plough it may be a valuable asset to trade in for the change in methods. If it is a bit older, the farmer may see it as being worth more to him than it is to trade...

cheers tris,see where you are coming from,i wandered if farms kept the plough in case of blackgrass

[Pete132]

Do you not plough 1 in 4/5 years in min till?

[Deere-est]

That undoes all the good you have spent four years creating really though, some farmers will do the rotational ploughing though. I do know of two farmers who say that the only cure for blackgrass is the plough however. Does this just cause the seed to hibernate or does it rot away at depth?

[archbarch]

there is an interesting article in this weeks Farmers Weekly about direct drilling.

The plough has been part of farming for years i think alot of farmers will be reluctant to give it up, the other thing is as herbicides improve, resistance to chemicals increase, chemicals get banned and the plough is always a solution.