I have tried to grow fruit trees without spraying and lost 100% of the initial investment. My soil was so healthy I could grow 6 foot tall Canadian thistle which I learned was a great place for leaf hoppers to live which spread viruses to my trees. I also noticed that some weeds would outcompete all other plants. It turns out weeds release potent chemicals into the soil that prevent other plants from germinating (allelopathy). I learned this the hard way as well. I am now on the right path after a farm friend of mine showed me what he is able to grow on fumigated land. He basically has killed everything from weed seeds to nematodes and is able to grow the most healthy plants I have ever seen. Ironically his post emergence pesticide use is very low to nonexistent in some cases. Go figure.
@ I know, but soil tests came back good. pH was 6.8 and all secondary nutrient levels were well within the normal range. I tried everything. I thought I was going to out smart the damn stuff by mowing it so I bought a $15,000 swing arm mower so I could get close to the trees. Every time I mowed the thistle came back even thicker and more lush. Your approach seems to be working for row crops, good luck.
@ I bet your test showed good calcium. The problem is calcium is a heavy mineral and falls down through the soil profile. Soil tests are generally from 0-6 inches. However most of the calcium is usually located in the bottom 3 inches not the top 3 where seeds germinate. Pests don’t like like available calcium, available phosphorus, carbon or oxygen. Did you take a carbon to nitrogen ratio test? Did you check the level of compaction in the soil? Did you apply available calcium to the top of the soil and let it wash in with precipitation to give the soil structure and let the biology go to work? It works for more than just row crops.
@@americanbeefranch Thistles will grow better in good soils, just like crops do. Even better in soils with balanced PH. You should have taken an agronomy class in college. Weeds thrive in better soils and often outcompete the crops. Thats why we need effective herbicides.
I'm looking at the harvested corn field he's standing in and I'm wondering, where the corn stalks are. Was this field green chopped for silage or were the stalks removed by baling? One of the worst things a famer can do to a corn field is to remove the corn stalks after harvesting the grain. Nutrients, carbon and organic matter are removed from the field when you bale your corn stalks. Additionally, that field doesn't appear to have been no-tilled, but was conventionally tilled before planting. Also there is a curious lack of weeds for a field that was not treated with herbicides. Also, there is no research that shows yields are enhance when a crop has to complete with weeds. That is pure nonsense.
@@steveningrahm8928 green chopping corn chops most of the plant. Not stalks were removed. I never said the ground was no till. I said it needs to be reduced. The ground was very compacted so a tillage pass was made before planting to loosen the soil. Once planted we made 1 cultivation pass. The weed pressure is less because the soil condition is better than others in the area. No herbicide or pesticide of any kind was used
@@americanbeefranch Don't try to gaslight me. I've been farming, raising corn, soybeans and cattle in the Midwestern corn belt for over 40 years. I know what a harvested corn field looks like. 80% to 90% of the plants have been removed from that field. Only a few inches of the lower corn stalk remains. You have removed almost all of the stalks and dry organic matter from the field. By baling or green chopping most of the Potash and Phosphate nutrients taken up by the corn plants have been removed. That adds up to a bit over four and one half pounds Phosphorus and over 30 pounds Potassium per ton of corn stalks removed. According to Iowa State, each acre of a corn field produces one ton of dry stalks for each 40 bushels of corn produced.
@ I know that. I would never bale corn stalks. The corn was chopped for silage. Therefore you take the majority of the plant. That’s how dairies do it… it wasn’t thrashed for grain.
@@americanbeefranch Makes no difference. Either way, the nutrients were removed. Back in the day, farmers would avoid buying or renting a farm that was farmed by a dairyman, because they green chop everything for silage and deplete the soil.
@@steveningrahm8928 ok? Does that mean you don’t put anything back? I choose corn silage because that was what was needed and I needed to rotate out of hay. My ground is better now then it was when I started
@@americanbeefranchwhen is your farm going up for sale? I wanna buy it and make a profitable farm by cutting out all the organic crap you’re focused on.
@@americanbeefranch UA-cam farmers are sketchy. Are you trying to supplement your farming operation by promoting your opinions on YT? Most viewers have little or no knowledge of agriculture and are likely to believe anything that sounds good. Consumers want fresh, unblemished food that is uncontaminated by pesticides or disease.
I’m rooting for you man. I hope you make it.
@@bobcatblue431 thanks we appreciate it
First question. Are your tillable acres making a profit?
@@johnzeit919 now they are yes
The less spraying the better!!
You should check out Gary Zimmer if you have not yet,
@@aidanmeyer8330 his stuff is great!
I have tried to grow fruit trees without spraying and lost 100% of the initial investment. My soil was so healthy I could grow 6 foot tall Canadian thistle which I learned was a great place for leaf hoppers to live which spread viruses to my trees. I also noticed that some weeds would outcompete all other plants. It turns out weeds release potent chemicals into the soil that prevent other plants from germinating (allelopathy). I learned this the hard way as well. I am now on the right path after a farm friend of mine showed me what he is able to grow on fumigated land. He basically has killed everything from weed seeds to nematodes and is able to grow the most healthy plants I have ever seen. Ironically his post emergence pesticide use is very low to nonexistent in some cases. Go figure.
@@samuelbonacorsi2048 thistles indicate soil problems. Compaction and low availability of calcium in the top few inches of soil.
@ I know, but soil tests came back good. pH was 6.8 and all secondary nutrient levels were well within the normal range. I tried everything. I thought I was going to out smart the damn stuff by mowing it so I bought a $15,000 swing arm mower so I could get close to the trees. Every time I mowed the thistle came back even thicker and more lush. Your approach seems to be working for row crops, good luck.
@ I bet your test showed good calcium. The problem is calcium is a heavy mineral and falls down through the soil profile. Soil tests are generally from 0-6 inches. However most of the calcium is usually located in the bottom 3 inches not the top 3 where seeds germinate. Pests don’t like like available calcium, available phosphorus, carbon or oxygen. Did you take a carbon to nitrogen ratio test? Did you check the level of compaction in the soil? Did you apply available calcium to the top of the soil and let it wash in with precipitation to give the soil structure and let the biology go to work? It works for more than just row crops.
@@americanbeefranch Thistles will grow better in good soils, just like crops do. Even better in soils with balanced PH. You should have taken an agronomy class in college. Weeds thrive in better soils and often outcompete the crops. Thats why we need effective herbicides.
@ there is far more to good soil than balanced ph
I'm looking at the harvested corn field he's standing in and I'm wondering, where the corn stalks are. Was this field green chopped for silage or were the stalks removed by baling? One of the worst things a famer can do to a corn field is to remove the corn stalks after harvesting the grain. Nutrients, carbon and organic matter are removed from the field when you bale your corn stalks. Additionally, that field doesn't appear to have been no-tilled, but was conventionally tilled before planting. Also there is a curious lack of weeds for a field that was not treated with herbicides. Also, there is no research that shows yields are enhance when a crop has to complete with weeds. That is pure nonsense.
@@steveningrahm8928 green chopping corn chops most of the plant. Not stalks were removed. I never said the ground was no till. I said it needs to be reduced. The ground was very compacted so a tillage pass was made before planting to loosen the soil. Once planted we made 1 cultivation pass. The weed pressure is less because the soil condition is better than others in the area. No herbicide or pesticide of any kind was used
@@americanbeefranch Don't try to gaslight me. I've been farming, raising corn, soybeans and cattle in the Midwestern corn belt for over 40 years. I know what a harvested corn field looks like. 80% to 90% of the plants have been removed from that field. Only a few inches of the lower corn stalk remains. You have removed almost all of the stalks and dry organic matter from the field. By baling or green chopping most of the Potash and Phosphate nutrients taken up by the corn plants have been removed. That adds up to a bit over four and one half pounds Phosphorus and over 30 pounds Potassium per ton of corn stalks removed. According to Iowa State, each acre of a corn field produces one ton of dry stalks for each 40 bushels of corn produced.
@ I know that. I would never bale corn stalks. The corn was chopped for silage. Therefore you take the majority of the plant. That’s how dairies do it… it wasn’t thrashed for grain.
@@americanbeefranch Makes no difference. Either way, the nutrients were removed. Back in the day, farmers would avoid buying or renting a farm that was farmed by a dairyman, because they green chop everything for silage and deplete the soil.
@@steveningrahm8928 ok? Does that mean you don’t put anything back? I choose corn silage because that was what was needed and I needed to rotate out of hay. My ground is better now then it was when I started
worms eat weed seeds, get more worms!!
@@grangercreek yes they do! We actually noticed quite a few worms this year!
You don't have a clue what you're talking about..
@@markhasenour12 ok? We have seen it based off soil samples and other tests
Yeah he does.
And so, Does this dickhead want to elaborate on the contrary?
@@americanbeefranchwhen is your farm going up for sale? I wanna buy it and make a profitable farm by cutting out all the organic crap you’re focused on.
@ it is profitable. Plus it’s gained value because of all the “organic crap”
@@americanbeefranch UA-cam farmers are sketchy. Are you trying to supplement your farming operation by promoting your opinions on YT? Most viewers have little or no knowledge of agriculture and are likely to believe anything that sounds good. Consumers want fresh, unblemished food that is uncontaminated by pesticides or disease.