Turning Dirt

Dove fields are turned, just in time too. Hopefully Mother Nature will bless us this year with more rain and more birds. I did 5 fields totalling about 190 acres.

Could you explain that, I just want to learn something. You want to turn it before a freeze, to crack the seeds? That top pic is cool.

Correct, I usually do it in January but decided to do it early this year. Just seems like it might be a warm winter, so I want to get as many freezes on them as possible.

Also I used a chisel plow to go deep and open the beds up to get some deep moisture. That allows for a better root system. Sometime in late January or early February I'll go back and drag the fields to smooth them out a bit.

I follow a weather guy specific to here in the southeast Texas area. He has by far been the most accurate weather person than all the major networks and the weather channel. He extended forecast for the week after Christmas is showing the first freeze for down in our area. Now of course it's a forecast, but it's something to watch. He was looking at temps in the 20's for lows for that week.

How long did 190 acres take you to turn?

Probably took him a few beers.

I can do about 55 acres in 8 hours. 8 hours is about as long as I want to be in the tractor, plus that's about how long it takes to burn through 40 gallons of diesel. Using a 125hp Kubota with a 13 shank chisel plow that covers about 14' per pass.

do you use a chisel plow every year or do you do it every couple of years?

I'll chisel one year and disc the next. Chisel every other year.

Under perfect conditions, I end up with this.

Which in turn, leads to this.

Hope to see those birds next year if I'm still in Texas. Here's to a wet spring and decent temps during the summer.

You for sure have got things swinging your way.

Well, I can turn dirt, it's all up to Mother Nature for everything else.

Looks like some good runoff too. I bet that put some water in your ponds.

It did, some, but still a long ways to go.

Good work John!

I’m planning on plowing in January after deer season, I’m in Coleman County, but I don’t have near that much open area to plow. We already plowed some for wheat, just small patches.
I will be plowing more small patches where I can.