Preparing a new field

[Outdoor Family]

Been a while since I've posted but still a daily reader. I have a 13ish acre field that I have been mowing for the past couple of years to knocked the mfr back with limited success. Thinking about planting rr beans in the spring to really take control of the issue. What would be the best way to prepare for a spring planting. Thanks and take care

 

[Tim Hull]

I would mow the outside edges this year to create a burn barrier and allow the rest to grow and then burn it in the Spring then till it up and then plant your rr beans.

 

[Sligh1]

Mow, let sit for week or 2. Warm day..... Nuke the sucker with heavy roundup, ammonium sulfate & crop oil. 2,4-d is a must in fall burn downs IMO as well. Opinion on that. Fire above sure can't hurt done right.
Here's a very strong suggestion for an advantage for next season (sky is the limit so I'll keep this truly modest)....
I'd add in a strong soybean pre-emergent this fall. Long list of reasons why. If u want to make it pretty simple (based on what I am going to guess your coop has on hand or can order fast..... I'd go with Sonic & prowl h2O. Yes- even in the fall. Subs like dual II, flexstar and a host of others are doable as well. Now- to make life simple- here's what I'd do in your shoes (unless u have a lot of spraying equipment).....
I'd call the coop and tell em "I know u ain't spraying much- u ready to do a favor for a little guy?" Those sprayers are not being run hard now and have them do u favor & if they won't- they are lazy and take ur business elsewhere.....
"Hey captain spray dude.... Want a fall burn down, want heavy roundup, ams, crop oil, 2,4-d and the residual of your choice for fall burn downs going to soybeans- (and they darn well better have an opinion cause there's some great ones- many I didn't list) - would u do me a solid and fry this sucker for me?!?" $7-12/acre application rate per acre and then herbicides at bulk cost = no brainer. No question this is how I'd handle if I didn't have my spraying rig.
**oh- to add to above- u could light on fire in spring. If u cooked it after u mowed low- doubt it's needed but could be done.
Next spring- add some more of my mad scientist confusion to it and run a spring burn down again with dual II & prowl h2o with ur post emergent u will run + ams & crop oil again. U better have great pre-emergent coverage down. Now- IMO- depending on your weeds- if u have ton of pigweed & water hemp & lambs quarter there- go Liberty. Just grass, velvet leaf (doubtful on ur weed field), etc- roundup be fine. If it's been in general weeds for a while- round up resistance not a huge issue but u better be applying your pre emergents or u will have trouble!!

 

[Tim Hull]

Sligh1 definitely knows the best way. I am about spending as little money as possible but nuking it would definitely get you a better burn.

 

[Sligh1]

Sligh1 definitely knows the best way. I am about spending as little money as possible but nuking it would definitely get you a better burn.

Farming, plots & everything we do with planting is interesting..... There's 20 solutions to go about every situation. Some better than others. I think I use the "9 ways to skin a cat" when talking plots, farming, spraying, native grasses, WHATEVER everytime I help a buddy out.
Absolutely correct above as options of how to go about it, Tim is right on, he'd have a great plot too. Lot of ways to do this. And very importantly.... There may be 20 solutions to doing something but only "3 are viable" because of your situation. that's the hardest part about farming.... no 2 scenarios are the same. It really does come down to things like "well, are we dealing with a nasty noxious weed" to "is the soil incredibly erodible where we don't want to tear it up", etc, etc, etc. Sky is the limit. For an EXACT correct answer (well as close as you can get) - a person would have to see every detail to that field, history of what's planted, etc. Is it NHEL - where a guy would want to disc it for example. Which honestly, if it was, that's what I'd do. BUT - a BOMB of variety of herbicides, IMO, covers about 75% of the situations I can even imagine up without seeing your field. Yep, a little more $. Well, heck, I could PROBABLY, MAYBE make it work with round-up alone, MAYBE.... $12/gallon bulk, fall spraying at 3 qts (yes, high rate) and with round-up ALONE on a weedy field depending on what's there, 3 more spring applications - likely at heavy rates. Yep, probably turn out fine. A lot more risks in there as well though. BUT- 9 ways to skin a cat!! That's for sure! Get it fried in fall would be my only "must do" & that's still just my opinion for making a far better seed bed come next fall (yes, I could go on and on, like adding P&K this fall so it breaks down by spring, etc). have fun though!

 

[Outdoor Family]

Thanks Tom and sligh1. Couple of additional thoughts. I'm really not a fire guy. I totally understand the benefits of burns but my comfort level on starting or being responsible for field fire is a big 0. But to you point of cost saving. This field with be with wildlife in mind and will not be a cash crop. To some degree pheasant forever will be involved with year old bean seed. Thinking about what sligh1 mentioned with a burn down I'm thinking of spraying a good ams and roundup potion and then disking in early spring. Then plant in mayish. Spray a couple of during the summer. What's your thoughts....

 

[Sligh1]

Thanks Tom and sligh1. Couple of additional thoughts. I'm really not a fire guy. I totally understand the benefits of burns but my comfort level on starting or being responsible for field fire is a big 0. But to you point of cost saving. This field with be with wildlife in mind and will not be a cash crop. To some degree pheasant forever will be involved with year old bean seed. Thinking about what sligh1 mentioned with a burn down I'm thinking of spraying a good ams and roundup potion and then disking in early spring. Then plant in mayish. Spray a couple of during the summer. What's your thoughts....

Yep. Soil test & sooner you put P&K down and Pellized lime based on needs the better. you need winter to break down especially K so it can be utilized. Discing FIRST year for beans is smart. As long as it doesn't create massive erosion issues (like super steep stuff). I always disc 1st year even with beans just because putting beans (yes, no till beans which have the best reputation for 1st crop, well understood) into dead sod is still so hard for em to grow. Lemme put it to you this way.... I've expanded fields MANY times.... Fields that came out of corn & had brome fescue next to them that I killed in fall and expanded. Corn ground had been worked in past. All no til though - corn and then into the new dead sod. You could see a LINE of height and yield difference that was STAGGERING. Some were more obvious than others. The worst I had it.... Both applied fall P&K & lime and sprayed.... Corn into beans yielded around 55-60, beans in the sod were about 35-40. yes, more to it than just sod making bean growth harder BUT I personally think the results difference is worth discing once when you start a a field. past that - I do all I can to go no-till. Trash whippers on my planters, extra depth pressure, etc. No till corn & beans after that with a little more effort is great & nice for conservation.

ONE MAJOR THING!!!!!!!!!!...... NEW FIELD - hands down, no question in my mind!!!!.... I would treat your beans with innoculant AND I would get treated beans. 2 different things.... treated beans have insecticide coated (like red or blue beans for example, usually red). INNOCULANT is not as widely utilized and way under-utilized. It's almost a "MUST HAVE" on a newly converted field. I'll save you the bore of science BUT You are lacking the bacteria (almost certainly) for your beans to utilize to produce Nitrogen. Putting the CHEAP & EASY innoculant on beans while putting in seed box or whatever, you are putting that needed bacteria on beans/in soil that will allow plant to make Nitrogen and get growing. Helps the actual plant & yield and also leaves more N for corn crop. MUST HAVE ITEM. CHEAP, EASY & NO BRAINER. Last thing on beans, I'd guess your PH needs correction. In any case, Pellitized lime will fix this (route you could go or ag lime) but good pelletized lime has good amounts of Calcium your beans will utilize as well. (PH to around 6.5 sure would be nice - soil test, easy)

Yes, I know, lot of stuff BUT, this is tip of iceburg. Heck, Agronomists go to school for 100 times more complex issues with crops and most I know are still learning and experimenting a decade later, whatever. Above is honestly very basic & simple stuff. Good luck!

 

[Outdoor Family]

Sprayed about one third of the fields yesterday. High rate of both glyphosate and ams. 24 hours later and I see yellowing. Should get the rest sprayed between work in the next week or so. Is it ok to randomly spread pel lime throughout the fall and then again real early spring before disking?? Thanks again