Good Day. It is a pleasure to be able to share our experiences with you. My wife Carol and I farm 2100 seeded acres of sandy loam in the very south east corner of Saskatchewan. We have zero tilled winter wheat, spring wheat, flax, canola, sunflowers, oats, barley, forage and we are planning to include peas next year.
Our production methods and management have been evolving to the point where we can continuous crop the whole farm. Carol does the bookkeeping and hauls grain from the combine. I do the field work and crop monitoring. Zero-till seeding, direct cut harvesting and aeration bins are the main labour savers.
In the early 1980's moving to direct cut combining and aeration bins was an easy management decision to make, as the financial benefits of better quality grain and reduced labour was very apparent. However, switching to zero-till seeding has taken me twelve years.
In 1981 interested in trying direct seeding (not pre-working the seed bed) and zero-till seeding, I purchased my first air seeder, a 28 foot Willrich and immediately started to direct seed with good results. I was, however, unhappy with the zero-till results obtained, because of the poor soil penetration and lack of adequate packing.
After two years I switched to a 7200 IH hoe drill, moving back to pre-working the seed bed and trying eagle beak openers for zero-till. I was disappointed with the hoe drill's penetration and fertilizer placing abilities on the zero-till, as well as the extra labour and expense required for the conventional seeding.
Again, after two years I changed the drill for a Bourgault air seeder with interchangeable mounted harrows and packers, I was pleased with the durability of the machine and speed of seeding. The Bourgault allowed me to both direct seed and zero-till. I was generally pleased with the direct seeding results, but feel the zero-tilling required more precise seed depth placement and continuous packing. As well, the seeder was limited to the amount of nitrogen that could be placed with the seed. As the farm was slowly being converted to zero-till, it appeared that only a dedicated zero-till seeder would perform properly.
Once again, after 8 years I went looking ro an alternate seeding implement. This time armed with previous experience and the advice of others, I had a much better idea of what to look for. Precise seed depth, on row packing, fertilizer side banding, machine strength (able to handle stones), accurate seeding rate, and knife openers were a must. Feeling that a Seed Hawk met my needs, I purchased a 38.5 foot, 10.5 inch row spacing seeder with liquid fertilizer side banding for the 1994 crop year. After two years of use, I still feel I made the right choice; so the Seed Hawk will survive on our farm longer than two years...more than some previous machines. I currently use an 876 Versatile for seeding which is more horsepower than I require, but at 150 hours a year usage I don't foresee the need for a different tractor, and in wet springs the additional traction is appreciated.
So much for the machinery. Now some of my thoughts on the hows and whys of zero-till seeding on our farm.
Openers: It appears to me the trade-off between a disk opener and knife is in favour of a knife. A knife offers little hair pinning of surface straw, uniform penetration, a trash free band of dark soil which arms up faster in spring. A knife does have poorer trash clearance than a disk, but that problem can be offset by limiting stubble height and by ensuring good straw and chaff spreading at harvest. Long term maintenance costs should favour a knife as well.
Fertilizer placement: Many field tests have shown the benefits of side banding at the time of seeding, giving the young plant early access to nutrients. Another benefit is in wet springs you fertilize only what your are able to seed, fertilizer is not wasted in low areas to feed weeds. A case in point, this past year fields with flooded unseeded areas that had received fall applied NH3 grew tall, healthy weeds. Where as the zero tilled land with side banded fertilizer, the nutrient starved weeds produced noticeably less growth and seed numbers. I feel the bother of applying all the fertilizer at seeding is negated by the expense of a additional trip over the field and the extra soil disturbance.
Over the past years I have tried all forms of nitrogen and I am very pleased with liquid fertilizer for side banding. The reasons are very good seed/fertilizer row separation and liquid stays where it's put. As well liquid is comprised of all three formulas of N which allows season long release of nitrogen. The convenience of on farm blending of the different nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and potassium (I haven't used potassium), is very safe handling and storage is also a big plus. These advantages are offset by higher cost than other forms (although liquid nitrogen price is similar to the granular price) and because of the low concentration of nitrogen in liquid, a higher amount of product has to be handled.
Packing: My experience is that on-row individual packing yields the best results. Gang packers appear to work fine if soil conditions are ideal. The problems start when the rear opener ranks of the air seeder deposit extra soil on the first seed row ranks slightly elevating the gang packer, resulting with less soil and packing in the last rank seed row, and uneven seed germination. Some openers disturb less soil and may diminish this problem but usually at the expense of inadequate seed/fertilizer separation. Harrows in front of the packers help somewhat, but add to the trash clearance problems. I found the packer wheel immediately behind and attached to the seeding knife preferable, thus allowing both uniform packing pressure and precise seed depth control, with little trash clearance problems.
Trash clearance: As I said earlier, using the combine to spread the straw and chaff in the fall, as well as cutting the stubble no longer than the distances between the seeder openers is a fact worth repeating. Harrows can be used to spread the trash, but that is an additional expense and has the undesirable problem of very effectively planting surface weed seeds.
Crop rotation: The best ways to deal with plant disease, insects, trash and straw residue is by crop rotations. I am still looking for a perfect rotation, having recently moved from four year to a five year rotation thinking that it will allow me more flexibility. My present rotation goal is: an early seeded pulse crop or flax, followed by spring wheat, early canola or mustard, winter wheat, and spring wheat. Climatic conditions, changing markets or poor crop response may alter my plans.
Some additional observations: A uniformly germinated row of seedlings result in a healthy crop stand and even maturity, a big bonus for direct cut combining. Minimum soil disturbance in between the seed rows results in less weed germination, and better moisture conservation. The depression of the seed row trench provides some frost protection for the newly germinated crop and aids in rain water retention.
I recognize the confusion farmers have in choosing a proper seeding method. I feel that the move from conventional seeding to zero-till seeding is very rewarding, both financially and in the knowledge that you are sustaining the soil for future generations. The change from conventional seeding to minimal tillage is easier than going all the way to zero tillage, but far less rewarding. Having been there, experience has shown me that in our area a minimum tillage farmer has the worst of both systems, poor weed control because this is not using enough tillage to control persistent weeds, but still the cost of tillage usually means less money available to purchase chemicals used to control the weeds.
I use a pre-seeding roundup burn off, followed by a normal in-crop weed control program, supplemented (if needed) by a desiccation. Over the last few years quack grass problems, and the green foxtail population has been greatly reduced. The pre-seed burn off for winter wheat appears to be very effective in controlling quack grass and Canada thistle. A mid summer spraying of roundup in low unseeded areas and cutting down taller weeds with a gyro mower in the fall helps to keep the fields clean.
In conclusion, zero-tillage seeding is a different system than many people are accustom. I can assure you, that it does work. There is no set pattern. You will have to think, adapt, suffer a wreck or two and an occasional humilation in the four or five year transformation period, but the rewards are worth it.