Just a quick update on our 2013 plant cane the new system that was planted back into the existing beds has just had it's second irrigation and the conventionally prepared field has had it's 3rd irrigation.It has been a bit slower to emerge but is really starting to kick on now that the weather is warming up more, we are quite pleased with the results so far but what really matters is what we send to the mill next year and how many dollars per hectare we get to put into our pockets. We are tracking our costs for both fields so will know exactly what the savings will be.
That's what we're seeing here in the corn belt in the States too. The more cover crop and no-till residue we have, the slower the crop gets going, but as the season goes on and it gets hotter and drier those fields look better and better while the conventionally farmed fields are going downhill rapidly.
ReplyDeleteWe have one soybean field where we had cover crops on a 1/3 of it, and none on the rest. You can see a very dramatic line in the field now. The non-cover crop side is turning yellow and dropping leaves. The cover crop side is still dark green and growing.
But as you said, will that translate to more yield and more dollars in our pocket? We'll know in a few weeks.