Cuz I know there are some farmers on here

[SledTL]

I was driving down to university of Illinois this past weekend for a stinking college visit again, but I had a question for some farmers. In Wisconsin I've seen that most fields are chisel plowed and come winter time the hunks make for some pretty rough riding. On the farms down south some of them look like the corn had been cut, but the fields looked flat like it had been mowed over. You could still see little corn stalks so I know that these aren't some other crop. Why would there be a difference in the way that they plow if it is the same crop? Wouldn't this flat harvesting make for smooth trails then also??

 

[jr37]

It may be that in Ill. they direct-seed (no-till) their new crop. Which means they don't need to do any tilling. Lots of maure spread in WI that needs to be tilled in. Also may till to aerate the soil, to bust up compaction. I'm not a farmer, but I grew up as a farm boy.

 

[Dsbasecamp]

Some Farmers get into a no till program...Good for beans the next year...Farmers that plow deep need to airate the soil...Soil becomes very packed down in some conditions...

 

[SledTL]

That would make sense

 

[MZEMS2]

Yup, that chisel plowing is to bust up the soil deep down in the hard pan. Typically the heavier soils need more deep tilling. IL probably has more sandy soil than WI does. Most farmers deep till in the fall so that when spring rolls around the ground has been broken up throughout the winter, and when a wet spring rolls around, they at least have a jump on the tilling in case field work gets delayed. No-till is popular where/when the soil allows it

 

[dj2muchjunk]

Is there a way to somewhat smoothen the chiesel plowed fields? It would make for a much smoother snowmobile trail when the snow is thin. Could the club buy a piece of equipment economically enough? Would we be hurting the farmers crop yields by doing this?
Thanks

 

[favoritos]

The heavy soils benefit from the soil break up in the fall. They normally compact and do not allow as much moisture/air into the soil for proper plant material fermentation when not tilled in the fall. You are pretty safe with running a roller on dry soil after it has been tilled. The freeze thaw cycles up north help take care of the soil conditions with uncrusted soils.

Farmer yields would see a very minimal impact on dirt chunks being broken down when the ground is starting to freeze and not muddy.

BTW, I wonder if they are really chiesel plowed fields? Those would be some of the smoothest tilled fields in our region. Other tillage options make the surface much more full of large lumps.

If your club is looking at an option to break up the chunks, check with the local farmers. Old tillage methods meant big lumps. There are many farm groves that have older narrow chunk breaking equipment just rusting away. Tell the farmers you want to till, but not compact the soil.

 

[goofy600]

After they plow in the spring they would disc the field to get it smoother to plant. Way back when my dad helped the club he would use a farmer friends tractor and disc to just do a path where the trail would go leaving the rest plowed. It made a smoother trail and kept everyone on the trail and out of the field. But that was 20-25 years ago I'm sure things have changed somewhat.

 

[MZEMS2]

Still fairly common for clubs to either disc or culimulch plowed fields around our area, obviously only where the trail goes through though. Makes a nice smooth trail.

 

[dj2muchjunk]

Thanks
Great info.

 

[G]

Plowing is pretty much over. If you think riding over a chisel plowed field is rough you haven't ridden over a plowed field. Even my yet to be ridden Viper would have trouble with that. Farmers prepare their fields in the fall with very little regard to snowmobiles. It depends on soil conditions and what is on tap for next year. No-till is an increasingly popular plan but it depends on moisture and many other variables. Leaving cornstalks is an attempt to limit erosion although it can do nasty things to sled tracks. In this area rough field trails are best addressed by pulling as much snow as is possible onto the field trail that is to be crossed. Sometimes this is possible and sometimes it is not. Believe me, sled riders and trails are not at the top of the list when farmers prepare their fields. Not here anyway.

 

[ezra]

Is there a way to somewhat smoothen the chiesel plowed fields? It would make for a much smoother snowmobile trail when the snow is thin. Could the club buy a piece of equipment economically enough? Would we be hurting the farmers crop yields by doing this?
Thanks

the disk they use around my parts is a fine disk has 2x the disks of a average farm disk. usual go out after all farmers are done for the yr.

 

[lotoftoys]

Mowed Corn

Many farmers in south Illinois actually did mow off their corn due to the drought. Some simply cut it for feed as there was no sense in wasting your time to combine a few bushels per acre. I am sure it makes for a better trail across a field but a tough year for some farmers.

 

[deerhunter]

they make conbines now that pick corn and have turtles(like a haybine) that cut the stauks short for corn fotter of bedding so its a all in one deal now