Thank you so much for this video. Your explanations made so much sense! This is the kind of information I love to hear. Best video I've seen on this topic.
Bill always with the solid info and no BS! Appreciate the no gimmicks, no click bait headlines, just straight forward, well thought out stuff! Thank you
Enjoy the videos and that beautiful northern IA farm. I have the clay you mentioned only here in west central IL. It can be challenging to plot in, but after 20 years of plotting I’m still learning to deal with it. Good luck this fall!
agree 100%. Clover best practice (according to the Whitetail Institute): best results for clover would means cultipacking before spreading seed. It enhances it even more so- with some moisture, till, cultitpack, spread, cultipack Bean best practice (minimum till for chemical to soil contact) : Get down preemergance chemical onto the dirt (must have soil contact) that has residual (Dual) chemistry to suppress weeds for several weeks. This is very important for the deer plot farmer that can't "babysit" the crop. So a burn down, followed by min till with S-metolachlor or dual pre put down. [DONT OVERLAP OR OVER DO PRE it will stunt the crop]
Great information. I have not experimented with residual sprays for beans. I definitely need to do that. The big one here due to the wet summer has been water hemp. It is showing up everywhere now. Have a great day.
Agree, when starting new plots it is hard to get them into shape without tilling. I usually disk then use the 3 in 1 Soil Conditioner that I got from Wildlife Farming to smooth and finish it. After that, I can more easily no-till it in future years. Good input. Have a great day.
Bill I agree that there are many advantages of no till, although we tried it for a few years and it did not work for us. I believe you need a quality no till unit to work, which in most cases is easily above 10k. We went back to tilling and it is working well for us. We usually plant our fall plots in late July or early August; lightly disc first, rototill, broadcast and then cultipack. Out plots are generally a combination of brassicas, radishes, oats, clover, peas or beans, and a little winter rye. Thanks, Bob
There is no question your system works. The no-till drill is not a food plot requirement but it does give you more options and speeds up the process by eliminating steps. Also does better in dry years. If you have a few small plots, tilling is the way to go but as the acres add up, the drill starts looking better and better.
Another good informational video. Some of us are old fashioned and cant afford a drill yet..Only discing or throwing on top of the ground and hope for rain....
That method works well too. The drill just saves a bunch of time and gets the seed where it will germinate quicker. But your method will definitely work, as you say, when the rains come.
I’ve got smaller plots, heavy clay loam and an old JD flex 71 planter. I try to minimize any cultivation, but this year the spring was moist and the soil stayed pliable so I was not able to close my seed furrows with the planter wheel alone. This winter I’m going to fabricate a strip tillage bar ahead of my planter, probably on the loader arms to loosen the soil as exactly in front of each planter unit as possible. I apply liquid urea (DEF) at planting time so I’ll probably move my sprayer heads up front by the strip till tines. Hoping that’ll save me a few passes in the field. Kevin
Kevin, that will a cool project. I have an old JD 7000 six row corn planter that has a strip till blade and two brush wheels in front of the disc openers. It works well and I have no-tilled beans with that system. As mentioned, I do like to till my corn. I am guessing that if you go to a few auctions, you can find those units for sale. I went to a local consignment auction a couple years back and they had two different sets of them for sale. They called them "no-till coulters" or similar in the advertising. It is fun to make stuff, but you might find them cheap at one of these auctions. Good luck.
This is a pretty balanced approach, Bill. Your history both in Northern and Southern Iowa illustrate how much soil quality can vary. My preference is as much no till as possible, but I can understand your thought process on corn. I know there are more farmers that are moving towards no-till, but it is tough when you have so much invested in tillage equipment. I think you have have answered this before, but have you or could you use the PH outdoors no-till drill for corn?
Brad, you can, but the drill is not as good at putting the seed at the perfect depth as a corn planter. True no-till drills aren't precision planters. With the drill you get a much wider variation in seed depth from row to row when going over uneven ground. I think I would till the plot first if using the PH to plant corn to kind of smooth things out. Plus, corn does OK when planted a little deeper than beans or brassicas (an inch or 1 1/2 inches deep) so the no-till drill going into tilled ground should be OK for corn.
Hey bill. what type of drill do you recommend? I'm buying 120 acres in Wisconsin with about 20 acres tillable. it already has a corn planter and till. The owner drills his sorghum and beans and all other plots. what drill would you recommend in this type of situation? thank you for everything you do!
Cory, Congrats on the farm. That is awesome. I have been using the PH Outdoors drills (Used to be called RTP) since about 2014. They do a really nice job with beans, brassicas, clover, fall rye/winter wheat, sorghum and most food plot company seed blends. They are more affordable than the pure ag drills. You can learn more here: www.ph-outdoors.com/g-series-no-till-drill-1 You might be able to find one used. You can do fine with either the 5 or 8 foot model. Good luck.
Yes, I have used it when the fields are big enough to use the fertilizer cart. Here they call it BlazeN (or something like that). It adds a little to the cost of the N but not a lot. I have used that and I know most of the local farmers that spread dry N do use that, but I still feel better about Nitrogen fertilizer if I get it in the ground. If I was going to no-till corn, that would definitely be the route.
Thanks for the info Bill. I just seeded my brassicas a week ago and they are coming up great. What would you recommend for fertilizer and the timing of fertilizing for brassicas?
Ben, it is always best to get a soil sample to know for sure. I have really liked the Plot Perfection system from Whitetail Institute because they automatically add the information to the plot on your app when you send in the sample, but you can easily use a local elevator or co-op too. They will have somewhere to send it. If you don't want to mess with a soil sample or don't have time, I would just go with 80-60-60 or similar for my brassicas. Again, you can get the bags to make that blend at the local co-op. I guess you could also go with roughly 400 pounds of Triple 19 per acre (lots of bags - the co-op solution is better). Goo luck.
Great Video Bill! Just Wondering Im trying to do a first-year brassica kill plot, I have spayed and mowed and was planning on renting a small rototiller to till up the ground, do you think I need to do that or do you think I could just broadcast over what I have sprayed.
I think it will germinate a lot better if you till it first, if you have the time. That would definitely be my suggestion. The only time I wouldn't till is when going into a crop that is already there (like beans) or when you just can't get a tiller to the spot, (or better yet) when you have a no-till drill. Good luck.
If you didn’t have a drill would you still not till as much as possible? I tried no drill no till for 4-5 years. I had success, but much better germination after I started tilling again
I am sure I would till a lot more if I didn't have the no-till drill. As you mention, just broadcasting and hoping works on the right year, but fails on years when the rains don't come at the right time. It doesn't take nearly as much rain to get a good plot with the no-till drill.
That is a good idea. If the plots were easier to get to, I bet I could get them here. They are only a couple miles away and the guy that just sold it is the same guy that cash rented my tillable, but to get to some spots I have to go up the ridge trails and there is no way I will ever get the applicator up those.
For what crop? The table they publish as part of the PH Outdoors website for planting rates is very accurate. Almost all my settings are based on that. You can find it here: www.ph-outdoors.com/copy-of-manuals
Brock, I would definitely spray with glyphosate (generic name for Roundup) before planting and ideally you can till the clover into the ground to get credit for all the nitrogen in the clover plants. Brassicas like nitrogen. Good luck.
George, without knowing a lot of details, I am going to guess you need a soil test for each one so you know what is lacking. Whitetail Institute has a pretty good system for soil testing via the mail (the Plot Perfection app has proven useful for me to keep everything organized and at my fingertips). The other main requirement is that you get your seeds either into the ground al little ways or in direct contact with the dirt so you get them to germinate and start growing. Those are the two main steps with the need for weed control being the third.
I am guessing you are referring to a cover crop. I like fall rye, winter wheat or oats. The oats will freeze out in late fall, but the winter wheat and fall rye will stay green and will last through the winter and will green up in the spring. Good luck.
It's called a cultivator, 3 point let's you control the depth from 2" deep to 18". I break up my plots 3-6" deep. Never really need more depth than that for clover - corn
I will definitely mention it to those guys. They are really well connected and maybe can source one easily or find one that is already out there. Thanks for the input.
No till is better for the sustainability od natural resources. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world's topsoil could be gone within 60 years if current rates of degradation continue. The FAO also warns that 90% of the Earth's topsoil could be at risk by 2050.
Definitely. That was the real reason it first showed up in commercial ag, if my memory serves me. If you have your farm enrolled in government programs, the NRCS agents will tell you what slopes you can till and which ones have to be no-till only. I saw the lost topsoil in farm fields that were tilled on slopes this past spring. A lot of topsoil washed away in parts of Iowa with the heavy rains on those tilled slopes - it was pretty ugly. I saw a little of it here on this farm too, which the tenant farmer is going to address before next spring (filter strips will probably be the solution).
Thank you so much for this video. Your explanations made so much sense! This is the kind of information I love to hear. Best video I've seen on this topic.
Thanks for the comment. Have a great day and good luck.
Bill always with the solid info and no BS! Appreciate the no gimmicks, no click bait headlines, just straight forward, well thought out stuff! Thank you
Thanks for the comment and the support Brad. I appreciate it. Have a great day.
Good video Bill I never knew about fertilizer becoming unstable until I started watching you, thanks for your info.
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it. Yes it is important to get your dry nitrogen into the ground via tillage or rain fairly quickly.
Enjoy the videos and that beautiful northern IA farm. I have the clay you mentioned only here in west central IL. It can be challenging to plot in, but after 20 years of plotting I’m still learning to deal with it. Good luck this fall!
It does take more planning (and more fertilizer) when the dirt isn't top level. Thanks for the comment. Have a great day.
Excellent video, thx Bill!
Thanks David. I appreciate it and hope you have a great day.
agree 100%.
Clover best practice (according to the Whitetail Institute):
best results for clover would means cultipacking before spreading seed. It enhances it even more so- with some moisture, till, cultitpack, spread, cultipack
Bean best practice (minimum till for chemical to soil contact) :
Get down preemergance chemical onto the dirt (must have soil contact) that has residual (Dual) chemistry to suppress weeds for several weeks. This is very important for the deer plot farmer that can't "babysit" the crop. So a burn down, followed by min till with S-metolachlor or dual pre put down. [DONT OVERLAP OR OVER DO PRE it will stunt the crop]
Great information. I have not experimented with residual sprays for beans. I definitely need to do that. The big one here due to the wet summer has been water hemp. It is showing up everywhere now. Have a great day.
I agree. However, in Kansas, I have to plow EVERYTHING when starting new plots just because of the thick thatch and root masses from native sod!
Agree, when starting new plots it is hard to get them into shape without tilling. I usually disk then use the 3 in 1 Soil Conditioner that I got from Wildlife Farming to smooth and finish it. After that, I can more easily no-till it in future years. Good input. Have a great day.
Bill I agree that there are many advantages of no till, although we tried it for a few years and it did not work for us. I believe you need a quality no till unit to work, which in most cases is easily above 10k. We went back to tilling and it is working well for us. We usually plant our fall plots in late July or early August; lightly disc first, rototill, broadcast and then cultipack. Out plots are generally a combination of brassicas, radishes, oats, clover, peas or beans, and a little winter rye. Thanks, Bob
There is no question your system works. The no-till drill is not a food plot requirement but it does give you more options and speeds up the process by eliminating steps. Also does better in dry years. If you have a few small plots, tilling is the way to go but as the acres add up, the drill starts looking better and better.
Another good informational video. Some of us are old fashioned and cant afford a drill yet..Only discing or throwing on top of the ground and hope for rain....
That method works well too. The drill just saves a bunch of time and gets the seed where it will germinate quicker. But your method will definitely work, as you say, when the rains come.
I’ve got smaller plots, heavy clay loam and an old JD flex 71 planter. I try to minimize any cultivation, but this year the spring was moist and the soil stayed pliable so I was not able to close my seed furrows with the planter wheel alone. This winter I’m going to fabricate a strip tillage bar ahead of my planter, probably on the loader arms to loosen the soil as exactly in front of each planter unit as possible.
I apply liquid urea (DEF) at planting time so I’ll probably move my sprayer heads up front by the strip till tines.
Hoping that’ll save me a few passes in the field. Kevin
Kevin, that will a cool project. I have an old JD 7000 six row corn planter that has a strip till blade and two brush wheels in front of the disc openers. It works well and I have no-tilled beans with that system. As mentioned, I do like to till my corn. I am guessing that if you go to a few auctions, you can find those units for sale. I went to a local consignment auction a couple years back and they had two different sets of them for sale. They called them "no-till coulters" or similar in the advertising. It is fun to make stuff, but you might find them cheap at one of these auctions. Good luck.
This is a pretty balanced approach, Bill. Your history both in Northern and Southern Iowa illustrate how much soil quality can vary. My preference is as much no till as possible, but I can understand your thought process on corn. I know there are more farmers that are moving towards no-till, but it is tough when you have so much invested in tillage equipment. I think you have have answered this before, but have you or could you use the PH outdoors no-till drill for corn?
Brad, you can, but the drill is not as good at putting the seed at the perfect depth as a corn planter. True no-till drills aren't precision planters. With the drill you get a much wider variation in seed depth from row to row when going over uneven ground. I think I would till the plot first if using the PH to plant corn to kind of smooth things out. Plus, corn does OK when planted a little deeper than beans or brassicas (an inch or 1 1/2 inches deep) so the no-till drill going into tilled ground should be OK for corn.
@@bill-winke Thanks, Bill. Good info.
Good stuff. I’m about to start next rain. I’m in south West Tennessee.
Good luck. I hope you get your rain soon.
Hey bill. what type of drill do you recommend? I'm buying 120 acres in Wisconsin with about 20 acres tillable. it already has a corn planter and till. The owner drills his sorghum and beans and all other plots. what drill would you recommend in this type of situation? thank you for everything you do!
Cory, Congrats on the farm. That is awesome. I have been using the PH Outdoors drills (Used to be called RTP) since about 2014. They do a really nice job with beans, brassicas, clover, fall rye/winter wheat, sorghum and most food plot company seed blends. They are more affordable than the pure ag drills. You can learn more here: www.ph-outdoors.com/g-series-no-till-drill-1 You might be able to find one used. You can do fine with either the 5 or 8 foot model. Good luck.
Good information here Bill. Do you ever utilize treated urea? I know Skip has talked about it and I've found it recently as well.
Yes, I have used it when the fields are big enough to use the fertilizer cart. Here they call it BlazeN (or something like that). It adds a little to the cost of the N but not a lot. I have used that and I know most of the local farmers that spread dry N do use that, but I still feel better about Nitrogen fertilizer if I get it in the ground. If I was going to no-till corn, that would definitely be the route.
Thanks for the info Bill. I just seeded my brassicas a week ago and they are coming up great. What would you recommend for fertilizer and the timing of fertilizing for brassicas?
Ben, it is always best to get a soil sample to know for sure. I have really liked the Plot Perfection system from Whitetail Institute because they automatically add the information to the plot on your app when you send in the sample, but you can easily use a local elevator or co-op too. They will have somewhere to send it. If you don't want to mess with a soil sample or don't have time, I would just go with 80-60-60 or similar for my brassicas. Again, you can get the bags to make that blend at the local co-op. I guess you could also go with roughly 400 pounds of Triple 19 per acre (lots of bags - the co-op solution is better). Goo luck.
Great Video Bill! Just Wondering Im trying to do a first-year brassica kill plot, I have spayed and mowed and was planning on renting a small rototiller to till up the ground, do you think I need to do that or do you think I could just broadcast over what I have sprayed.
I think it will germinate a lot better if you till it first, if you have the time. That would definitely be my suggestion. The only time I wouldn't till is when going into a crop that is already there (like beans) or when you just can't get a tiller to the spot, (or better yet) when you have a no-till drill. Good luck.
@@bill-winke Awesome Ill plan to do that! thanks so much for the advice!!
If you didn’t have a drill would you still not till as much as possible? I tried no drill no till for 4-5 years. I had success, but much better germination after I started tilling again
I am sure I would till a lot more if I didn't have the no-till drill. As you mention, just broadcasting and hoping works on the right year, but fails on years when the rains don't come at the right time. It doesn't take nearly as much rain to get a good plot with the no-till drill.
Check with your local Ag Retailer or Co-Op about custom applying ammonia, wont be cheap but a lot more efficient then topdressing urea
That is a good idea. If the plots were easier to get to, I bet I could get them here. They are only a couple miles away and the guy that just sold it is the same guy that cash rented my tillable, but to get to some spots I have to go up the ridge trails and there is no way I will ever get the applicator up those.
I have a genesis 8 , what calibration is your drill set too?
For what crop? The table they publish as part of the PH Outdoors website for planting rates is very accurate. Almost all my settings are based on that. You can find it here: www.ph-outdoors.com/copy-of-manuals
Ok so I have an existing clover plot i want to plant brassicas what should I do to kill off clover for brassicas?
Brock, I would definitely spray with glyphosate (generic name for Roundup) before planting and ideally you can till the clover into the ground to get credit for all the nitrogen in the clover plants. Brassicas like nitrogen. Good luck.
I always need help on my food plots but never grow very well. What do I should do
George, without knowing a lot of details, I am going to guess you need a soil test for each one so you know what is lacking. Whitetail Institute has a pretty good system for soil testing via the mail (the Plot Perfection app has proven useful for me to keep everything organized and at my fingertips). The other main requirement is that you get your seeds either into the ground al little ways or in direct contact with the dirt so you get them to germinate and start growing. Those are the two main steps with the need for weed control being the third.
@@bill-winke how are you doing
😊Dream Big brother 🙏
Thanks Edward. Much appreciate. You too.
What would be a good filler on a clover pot from now going into the fall?
Where are you located that plays a huge factor in the determining the answer
White institute Oats
I am guessing you are referring to a cover crop. I like fall rye, winter wheat or oats. The oats will freeze out in late fall, but the winter wheat and fall rye will stay green and will last through the winter and will green up in the spring. Good luck.
@@bill-winke referencing an almost failed food plot.. Is it too late in the season to add a couple bags per acre of the vision to my clover plot?
I still think bill needs to tell wildlife farming to make a 6-8 ft vertical tillage disc for behind small tractors and bigger utvs
It's called a cultivator, 3 point let's you control the depth from 2" deep to 18". I break up my plots 3-6" deep. Never really need more depth than that for clover - corn
I will definitely mention it to those guys. They are really well connected and maybe can source one easily or find one that is already out there. Thanks for the input.
No till is better for the sustainability od natural resources. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world's topsoil could be gone within 60 years if current rates of degradation continue. The FAO also warns that 90% of the Earth's topsoil could be at risk by 2050.
Definitely. That was the real reason it first showed up in commercial ag, if my memory serves me. If you have your farm enrolled in government programs, the NRCS agents will tell you what slopes you can till and which ones have to be no-till only. I saw the lost topsoil in farm fields that were tilled on slopes this past spring. A lot of topsoil washed away in parts of Iowa with the heavy rains on those tilled slopes - it was pretty ugly. I saw a little of it here on this farm too, which the tenant farmer is going to address before next spring (filter strips will probably be the solution).