anyone doing things a bit differently..

Arthur said:
Have heard similar stories with regard to silage additives, part of the marketing strategy was an analysis of the silage for "free" , results came back mighty impressive according to the rep, farmer never let on the additive was still in the shed..
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Speaking of additives, a neighbour cut his 4th of may open (no plastic) maize today because the person selling the additive told him it was mad fit, I was in the field and ok the cob was relatively hard but the plant was green as a cabbage, effluent running from the pit this evening-crazy stuff.
Anyway back to the slurry thing, it must have been the extra nitrogen available if you go by this, also if the farmer had to draw water into 1 tank and not the other then the slurry would be more concentrated, back to my original point that if 1 side of the field did 1/4 of a tonne more due to increased nitrogen in the slurry then the crop must have been left short of N as there is no mention of p or k benefits http://www.agway.ie/sites/default/files/NitroSlurry%20LEAFLET_Layout%201.compressed.pdf
 
Blackwater boy said:
Speaking of additives, a neighbour cut his 4th of may open (no plastic) maize today because the person selling the additive told him it was mad fit, I was in the field and ok the cob was relatively hard but the plant was green as a cabbage, effluent running from the pit this evening-crazy stuff.
Anyway back to the slurry thing, it must have been the extra nitrogen available if you go by this, also if the farmer had to draw water into 1 tank and not the other then the slurry would be more concentrated, back to my original point that if 1 side of the field did 1/4 of a tonne more due to increased nitrogen in the slurry then the crop must have been left short of N as there is no mention of p or k benefits http://www.agway.ie/sites/default/files/NitroSlurry%20LEAFLET_Layout%201.compressed.pdf
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This thread is about being open minded so maybe occasionally just free your mind from npk, 1+1=2 mentality. Think about the interaction between slurry and the soul how maybe you can improve that by adding bugs to slurry, slurry is a mild poison after all to a lot of soil biology so maybe treating the slurry with bugs negates this a pbit
 
Louis mc said:
This thread is about being open minded so maybe occasionally just free your mind from npk, 1+1=2 mentality. Think about the interaction between slurry and the soul how maybe you can improve that by adding bugs to slurry, slurry is a mild poison after all to a lot of soil biology so maybe treating the slurry with bugs negates this a pbit
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Like all threads they off topic through conversation and people questioning things and searching for answers? I was merely trying to figure out or at least throw a theory behind why 1 side yielded better. There is a lot more to science and bugs and I'm no biologist than just throwing them into a slurry tank and you get 1/4 of a tonne per acre more.
 
Were both tanks mixed the same, drawing water from the bottom of the untreated before it was properly mixed would easily show that much difference
 
Ok so a division has happened between the belivers and non belivers as to DD and cover crops versus plough and plenty bag. So I'm asking as a non believer but not a closed mind as to can someone explain to me about bugs, soil biology that you have that we don't have, what have you got that we don't, can you measure it or is it just a theory that someone said? Ok just in real need of convincing and hard science and hard facts is what I was educated with in college so please can someone tell me?
 
Blackwater boy said:
Ok so a division has happened between the belivers and non belivers as to DD and cover crops versus plough and plenty bag. So I'm asking as a non believer but not a closed mind as to can someone explain to me about bugs, soil biology that you have that we don't have, what have you got that we don't, can you measure it or is it just a theory that someone said? Ok just in real need of convincing and hard science and hard facts is what I was educated with in college so please can someone tell me?
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Ive been reading about this stuff for years now and the more I learn the more questions I have, especially about soil so the answer to your question is no not really. There is now a few soil tests available for soil biology and ive sent some away but obviously wont understand the results but I will have a basis to quage against further tests as time go on. All big trials research about pesticides etc come in a glossy sheet of paper with companies worth loads($130b was it for syngenta and $66b for monsanto or something like that). These trials rarely tell you the full story, they do not lie just dont tell you the full story. Many bugs on market will be an absolute load of crap im sure and id be willing to bet this includes the most expensive ones. The simples ones ie molassis and seaweed will have some beneficial bugs and microorganisms and wont cost you much and will prob be just as beneficial. The stuff I have seen @Blackwater boy is alot of anicdotal stuff from farmers and am now seeing in myself on farm and it is proving to be true that stop killing everything and we see more friable soils and healthier greener crops with less pressure be that disease, pest or weeds! Ive posted before this system has to be farmer led as there is not enough in it for the big companies, they will not do the expensive research without a payback, thats businesss. Ive heard that some chemical companies are buying out some smaller biotech companies. This is the worst thing to happen as the may shut them down or if they do keep them running a previously low margin useful product will need to fit into their structure for massive mark up! I dont want to see massive shiney sheets of paper with research of these things, I want true on the ground reports of an extra 1/4 ton per acre from using them as above, just make sure they are real. That report above should be enough for lads to say lets do a split field trial at home, then post result here next year, if we get another 1/4 ton result now we have a 'replicated study'!

This does not really answer your question but hope it helps.
 
Do you spray off the cover crop Louis?

Is the JD drill a no till drill only or do you use it on ploughed/min filled ground too?
 
There is no scientific evidence that Homeopathy works, if anything scientists say it does not work, but the animals with pink eye, ringworm, etc do not read the reports, so they don't know it doesn't work, and recovery happens.
As hinted at above, universities and scientists need funding, so research must meet the sponcers requirements.
If a corporate can not increase share prices they have failed, their job is not dependent on a few farmers.

Have any of you noticed the fertilizer recommended by the agronomist makes the plant vulnerable. The spray to protect the vulnerable plant sets it back, so it needs fertilizer to pull it out of the sickness.

We are recommended to grow the 12 tonne crop of wheat. The inputs required for this make a 10 tonne crop non profitable.

Are we making the profit or the input / equipment suppliers who fuel our dream.

Sorry for questions rather than answers.
 
Sorry if straying off topic..

Ive only had one brush with Homeopathy. My 4yr old daughter had a viral skin complaint called Molluscum contagiosum. Her immune system isnt the strongest so she got a fair doing from it. Horrible looking, itchy pimples on her neck, chest and arms. Scratching made them spread.

GP's only answer was saying it would pass in time. Cryo is another cure but would be too painful due to the level of it on her skin.

The poor child was having a terrible time with it until a desperate Mrs Cork approached a local Homeopathy person. The lady said she was v familiar with it and had treated many children.

Well, I am impressed. A series of little pills has cleared it up in a month. No scars and a happy little girl. Homeopathy isnt something I would ever dismiss after this experience.
 
nashmach said:
Do you spray off the cover crop Louis?

Is the JD drill a no till drill only or do you use it on ploughed/min filled ground too?
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Yes sprayed it off.
We've only really used it for no-till but it can be used to good effect on any kind of cultivated seed bed. I tried it on some ploughing the other day that we just rolled first and it seemed to do a good job. We currently use one pass on ploughed ground but if experiment proves successful we might use the jd more
 
CORK said:
Something a little different....

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Sounds great but....
Sounds like technology that will cost farmers a lot??
Why not just regenerate these poor soils so that crops will grow in them.

Sounds a bit like a short cut to nowhere to me
 
Louis mc said:
Sounds great but....
Sounds like technology that will cost farmers a lot??
Why not just regenerate these poor soils so that crops will grow in them.

Sounds a bit like a short cut to nowhere to me
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All new technology costs money. One would expect that any potential cost would be outweighed by the benefit to the farmer - no one will buy it otherwise.

Without healthy soil, we are indeed going nowhere but there is more to growing crops than just the soil.
 
CORK said:
All new technology costs money. One would expect that any potential cost would be outweighed by the benefit to the farmer - no one will buy it otherwise.

Without healthy soil, we are indeed going nowhere but there is more to growing crops than just the soil.
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well I would think that the soil is the most important bit, would you?
 
marco said:
well I would think that the soil is the most important bit, would you?
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Its hard to actually decide which is the most important bit:

Is it the oxygen/CO2 taken in by the leaves?
Is it the water?
Is it the soil?
Is it the sunlight?
Is it the genetics of the plant?
Is it the human intervention via planting seeds, disease control, weed control, fertility adjustment of the soil?

There is little point debating which is the most important bit as one is useless without the other. As stated already and not really questioned - we are going nowhere without healthy soil.
 
CORK said:
Its hard to actually decide which is the most important bit:

Is it the oxygen/CO2 taken in by the leaves?
Is it the water?
Is it the soil?
Is it the sunlight?
Is it the genetics of the plant?
Is it the human intervention via planting seeds, disease control, weed control, fertility adjustment of the soil?

There is little point debating which is the most important bit as one is useless without the other. As stated already and not really questioned - we are going nowhere without healthy soil.
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Actually I would say the soil quality will have a say in points 1,2,4 and reduce the amount of number 6 required. Number 5 is important but not as vital as the others in terms of varietal difference is not huge. and it is number 3.
 
Always Thinking said:
Actually I would say the soil quality will have a say in points 1,2,4 and reduce the amount of number 6 required. Number 5 is important but not as vital as the others in terms of varietal difference is not huge. and it is number 3.
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im not going to prioritise as theres little point. They all interact to some degree.
 
CORK said:
im not going to prioritise as theres little point. They all interact to some degree.
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I agree they interact but i disagree a bit on prioritising, for example sunlight, for photosynthiesis to be good we need the right nutritional balance in the plant, MG, S, N etc. These are more likely to be balanced in a healthy soil. Water, a health soil will perculate well reducing too much water logging and it will hold water well at times of drought. Again a healthy soil needs less inputs, and will make the most of genetics. Its also the one we can do something about (without knowing much about Sustain 2017), others are weather related apart from how well our soil is conditioned to handle them. But we can agree to disagree :wink:
 
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