Gav836 Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Do you not plough then Gav? I've seen a few people do it without ploughing i.e. just heavy cultivate with a chisel plough/subsoiler or similar, the last farm I worked on grew about 100-120 acres each year, both salad type straight into boxes and set skins over the grader for crisps/chips etc, our routine was - 1, spread field with manure if field needed it and if FYM was available 2, subsoil with a McConnell shakerator (buried nearly to top of the legs) 3, plough 'n' press at right angles to the way it was subsoiled 4, fertiliser applied then power harrowed / rotaspiked 5, ridged up and depending on quality of seedbed possibly bedformed/rotospiked 6, destoned and planted, we used to put on that horrible pink powder stuff when filling the planter It's interesting to see how other people do things, I guess lot of it is down to soil type and farming policy used, keep up the good work I really like following your topic As far as we and several other growers are concerned ploughing for potatoes is a waste of time these days as its more of a recreational activity if you are subsoiling it to 16 inches anyway, you get just as much soil by ridging straight behind the subsoiler. Another plus for not ploughing is the fact that you don't create clods then have to beat the ground into submission with a power harrow or bed tiller to get rid of them saving a lot of diesel and man hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav836 Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Heres a few planting pictures from today and yesterday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav836 Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 A picture taken in the stoniest part of the field A couple my colleague took of me destoning today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrol Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Like the action shots taken by your colleague. He seems quite capable with a camera! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav836 Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 Been a while since I updated in here, we haven't done alot since before easter now due to the wet ground conditions. Luckily we only have around 27 acres of potatoes to plant unlike one of our neighbours who still have between 500 and 600 acres remaining. Other than a bit of liquid and solid fertiliser application nothing has been done out of the yard. I was tidying up one of the barns today but had to shunt one of our AS Marston 14t trailers over to get the other one in beside it, however all the main four tractors had something hooked onto them, rather than take something off I decided to use the only other available tractor......don't think it'd handle it loaded or tip it though :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 tell you what gav, if that little 135 ever came up for sale i wiould have her of you lot, bar the lights shes near on perfect for her age, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udimore Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Just had a big read through Gav, smashing updates very informative Only one good place for that 135 I recon Gav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I tend to agree Barry...in Sean's back garden....you were not thinking scrap heap were you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udimore Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I was Bill, although Sean's huge backside sat on that heap the whole tractor would be it bits FTF needs to return to the old days of the MF bonfires Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 yeah yeah lardy baz :laugh: :laugh: tell you what i dont think many if any tractor lovers would turn that old girl down, its a very very rare sight to see a tractor worked for its life and still look like that after all them years,all the cab pannels,body pannels ect, if i got offered a old ford in that conditiopn i would say the same to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udimore Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I have to agree, when I was a very young teenager I used to clean the yard of the good stuff with a 135 ..loads of memories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 what they had mf135's "during the war" ww 1 that is : :of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav836 Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Well after a wait of several weeks the concreting boys turned up today to do the floor on the new store, as I'm on holiday this week I was only alerted to their presense by the sheer number of cement lorries going past my house. Despite the fact that I'm on holiday I thought I'd just slip down to the yard this afternoon and have a look at what was going on and get some pictures for you bunch of misfits and wierdo's on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav836 Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris.watson Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 coming on a treat gav. fox paw prints in the morning? rape looks well in the background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav836 Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 From what the guys said Chris they are going to be there for a great proportion of the night power floating the floor, got their mobile lighting gantries there ready to fire up already. It's more likely to be deer prints about this way. All our rape is looking well considering its a variety a lot of people have had problems with, we seem to be an exception to that though given its yield last year and its looks so far this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deere-est Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Well, Gav. You ought to be able to knock a scale version up now Hell of a shed by the looks of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 That's going to be a nice 'easy sweep' floor by the time they've finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 When's the spud irrigation gear coming out Gavers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav836 Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Funny you should say that Barry but I actually picked our oldest irrigator up from the dealers today where its had a major overhaul. I ploughed our last remaining bit of potato land yesterday as its the only way we think it'll get the air into it to dry it out, not ideal ploughing 14 inches deep on rowcrop wheels but needs must. Turned out wet but still drier than we expected it to....... It had dried out enough to start ridging up by this afternoon, managed to get a couple of acres done then this happened......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 I know the feeling Gavin. Not very nice! We had some lovely days lately but seems you had just more rain? How much have you got left to plant now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris.watson Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 nice straight furrow on the ploughing gav. gps or great skill involved? as for the rain, well, me and the gaffer were chatting about this today. i said to him i would rather see our crops this spring looking the way they do[very healthy and full of potential] than this time last year when things were going down hill fast. i do however feel sorry for you and the other spud guys gav, as i know your window for planting is closeing out fast.the weather in east anglia is supposed to settle down after today, fingers crossed you will get going again.i hope august isn't going to be a 2008 repeat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav836 Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 I know the feeling Gavin. Not very nice! We had some lovely days lately but seems you had just more rain? How much have you got left to plant now? Between 28 and 30 acres Niels, we had a look this lunchtime but its still too wet at the moment, hopefully have a go tomorrow. Unfortunately the 6910 has thrown a spanner in the works now as it had a small waterleak yesterday which upon investigation today turned out to be a split the full width of it so its now in pieces awaiting a new radiator......and two thermostats as we found they had been removed when we went to change them today we're now wondering why nice straight furrow on the ploughing gav. gps or great skill involved? as for the rain, well, me and the gaffer were chatting about this today. i said to him i would rather see our crops this spring looking the way they do[very healthy and full of potential] than this time last year when things were going down hill fast. i do however feel sorry for you and the other spud guys gav, as i know your window for planting is closeing out fast.the weather in east anglia is supposed to settle down after today, fingers crossed you will get going again.i hope august isn't going to be a 2008 repeat! No GPS on the farm Chris so its all down to me. We've had a couple of light showers today and its trying again at the moment. We only need 4 days to get everything wrapped up here now but as myself and the Standen engineer were saying today, you can usually guarantee that a wet planting season means a wet harvesting season when it comes to potatoes, 2008 is a good example to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris.watson Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Between 28 and 30 acres Niels, we had a look this lunchtime but its still too wet at the moment, hopefully have a go tomorrow. Unfortunately the 6910 has thrown a spanner in the works now as it had a small waterleak yesterday which upon investigation today turned out to be a split the full width of it so its now in pieces awaiting a new radiator......and two thermostats as we found they had been removed when we went to change them today we're now wondering why No GPS on the farm Chris so its all down to me. We've had a couple of light showers today and its trying again at the moment. We only need 4 days to get everything wrapped up here now but as myself and the Standen engineer were saying today, you can usually guarantee that a wet planting season means a wet harvesting season when it comes to potatoes, 2008 is a good example to use. i hope its not a 2008 repeat coming up gav, that year i put 1000 ton of wheat through our 1968 almet 4 ton an hour drier. the last 10 acres we took at 23% and output dropped to 2 tons an hour. 17% aint to bad, as it will chuck out 7 ton hour down to 14.5%. mind you, its worth more to put the effort in to dry it now. we aint got gps neither gav, we are like yourselves, proper tractor drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udimore Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Gav I see Marky's training from a few years back has done you proud Rotten luck Gav (get it) not a laughing matter mate, good work mate and fingers crossed for you over the next few days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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