Why would you want to kill already established clover?

Just got back from a road trip to Iowa. Past millions of acres of farmlands being planted in Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Nearly 100% of farmers who I saw planting - and there were literally thousands of them on my ten day trip - were tilling the soil in some way. Verticle tillage, deep plowing, minimal tillage, etc. These are multi-million dollar operations that are feeding the entire world. Didn't see a single bush hog In a field or a single farmer using the mow & throw method. Maybe if CNC could just get his message to them

You�re not really killing it if you keep your gly rate light�.you�re just stunting it for a moment to give your new seedlings a chance to establish before the clover returns. Were talking about in fields of thick established clover. This is where the flexibility of this method comes into play though. You can really choose to do whatever you want from that point. If I had a field that would grow a nice crop of durana all summer mixed with a smattering of weeds and grass then I might be apt to do very little during the summer. Other folks may want to add some things to the mix and grow a summer crop. In that situation the clover may need to be suppressed for a moment depending on the conditions. In the book I posted a link to awhile back�.the Japanese farmer in the book flooded his field for a week before spring planting in order to weaken his white clover and allow the other plants to establish. This is not really an option for the majority of us so alternative methods will have to be used. Some of you who see flooding in your fields may be able to do it just like the Japanese farmer and plant right after the floods. Again though, these are just options that folks may or may not choose to do.

Actually there is a movement back to this type of farming in the midwest where moisture can be a problem (not this year). It is a similar method in which they sow a cover crop then roll it down as a thatch barrier once it matures. Then they use equipment specifically designed to only disturb the soil where the seed is being planted. Basically a much larger than normal no till planter. The results so far have been, higher yeilds, more drought tolerance, less weed competition, and more profit. So don't make the mistake of believing just becuase something has been done a certain way for years that it's the best method. And as this board proves many times over, people are very reluctant to change, especially when it's their livelyhood. The farmers using traditional methods are making a living and see no need to change. But other farmers who are a little more open minded are willing to trial new methods and processes to see if there is something better out there. And many are finding out there is actually a better way. The healthiest soil is definetly soil that is undesturbed, allowing high populations of microbial activity. When soil is disturbed it kills much of the microb popluation, which hinders the soil break down process as it was designed to be. It also causes the soil to become hard and crusty on the surface, which affects water absorption, and causes much more water run off. Soil is kind of like a crack addict, once your hooked it's hard to go back to normal. Once traditional farming techniques are imployed and the soil becomes dead with microbial activity, you have to keep pouring the fertilizers and other chemicals to the crop in order to have a decent yeild.

What rate are you mixing your gly for these results? Are you traveling at a higher rate of speed when spraying?

Actually there is a movement back to this type of farming in the midwest where moisture can be a problem (not this year). It is a similar method in which they sow a cover crop then roll it down as a thatch barrier once it matures. Then they use equipment specifically designed to only disturb the soil where the seed is being planted. Basically a much larger than normal no till planter. The results so far have been, higher yeilds, more drought tolerance, less weed competition, and more profit. So don't make the mistake of believing just becuase something has been done a certain way for years that it's the best method. And as this board proves many times over, people are very reluctant to change, especially when it's their livelyhood. The farmers using traditional methods are making a living and see no need to change. But other farmers who are a little more open minded are willing to trial new methods and processes to see if there is something better out there. And many are finding out there is actually a better way. The healthiest soil is definetly soil that is undesturbed, allowing high populations of microbial activity. When soil is disturbed it kills much of the microb popluation, which hinders the soil break down process as it was designed to be. It also causes the soil to become hard and crusty on the surface, which affects water absorption, and causes much more water run off. Soil is kind of like a crack addict, once your hooked it's hard to go back to normal. Once traditional farming techniques are imployed and the soil becomes dead with microbial activity, you have to keep pouring the fertilizers and other chemicals to the crop in order to have a decent yeild.

I haven�t experimented with it yet but I�ve seen numerous other folks report that they�ve had clover come back after spraying it. It a pretty tough plant. If I were going to test it I would probably try something like � quart per acre.

What summer plantings do you find more beneficial to the wildlife than established clover?

ok CNC, I haven't been to my place since mothers day, at that time there were no weeds in my fields to speak of. I plant on planting roughly 5 to 6 acres of IC peas this weekend with the throw and mow method. I have not sprayed a single field, nor do I know if there are any weeds to speak of. Can I still make this happen?

Forgive me if this link has already been posted (too many posts to read them all) but here is a real good discussion on the matter. It really breaks down the advantages of using cover crops and no till systems to better enhance and utilize the natural process taking place in the soil. In other words, letting the microbes in the soil do most of the work. I know this is not necessarily "throw N go" but it's untilizing the same principles only in a larger commercial operation setting, which requires the main crop to be planted with no till planters for more accurate planting rates, and costs controls etc.

Note: It's a long clip but at 20:20 in you will see a side by side comparison of tradition methods vs no till with no irrigation other than rain fall. Pretty impressive...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWXCLVCJWTU

CNC,

What is the broad leaf plant in your last picture?

I don't know bout y'all but I'm ready for a few days of good sun and no rain. My fields are needing a boost of no rain.