Planting soybeens with JD 7000

[mauricew]

I am a new farmer with only haybaling under my belt. I would like to plant soybeans this year do to the alfalfa being 4 years old. I purchased a JD 7000 4 row planter (38") last week from a retired farmer. My question would be since the planter is not no till, how hard do i have to work the ground. I plan on trying to plant 30 acres on a slight hill (maybe c,d grade). Ps, the planter looks like new, still has factory tags on it.
 

[Cooney Minnie]

My father no-tilled for 14 years with a planter just like yours with only one modification- he mounted four coulters to the frame, one ahead of each planter unit. These were old plow coulters. It planted beautifully in alfalfa sod, although we did not go very fast.

You are planting soy into what kind of ground? Corn stubble? The alfalfa?
 

[JMS/.MN]

I would recommend that you get the singulation units made by JD or Kinze, and throw the bean cups away. You'll get a much more accurate stand, no matter which way you plant. You have lots of options regarding no-til equipment to mount.
 

[mauricew]

planting in a 4 year alfalfa field. Did he have to disc or use a field cultivator before planting?
 

[mauricew]

should i change to the singulation units and add no till culters?
 

[Cooney Minnie]

There was no prep, we planted directly into spring killed sod (Round-up, and 2,4 D). We still do this, and is usually some of our best corn.

Now something you need to understand... that alfalfa, if still a good stand, will supply 150-200 lbs of N if killed. That means there is enough N fertilizer there for a crop of corn WITH NO FERTILIZER! Given this, and given that beans will no utilize this free N, why do you wish to plant beans?

I don't know where you live, but corn following alfalfa is probably the most lucrative crop there is, following marajuana and a couple others. Think about it.
 

[Erik Ks farmer]

The best corn crop I've ever grown was planted into red clover in a secondary bottom. Makes me smile just thinking about that corn.
 

[Erik Ks farmer]

As to the planter and planting beans with it, I have a 7000 with Deere cups and my seed spacing is not great but it is nearly as good as a neighbors who has the Kinze units.
 

[paul]

Wow, if there was any way to go with corn, that would be _the_ crop to follow an old alfalfa crop with - you are getting 150 lbs of free N for the corn, and chemicals to kill off the alfalfa will be much easier. Roundup can do it, but need a lot.

Really kinda throwing money away by going to beans, unless corn just don't work in your area.

Don't mean to try to tell you what to do, but if you are new to crops, you really need to look at your crop rotation choice?

The singulation meters will cut down on your seed costs, better stand. On 30 acres, it probably isn't so critical, but... they are better certainly.

7000 is a bit of a light planter to set up for rugged notill, but for your acres it should work out well, will spend a few bucks per row but stuff is out there. If the ground is hard some have put sand in the insect boxes (chain off of course) to weight the rows down so the depth goes down good enough.

Shoup is a good source for parts for a 7000, cheaper than JD, more friendly than some of the super-big dealers any more, and parts are just as good. They are online, but the printed catalog is easier for me.

--->Paul
 

[JMS/.MN]

Biggest advantage to singulation units is not having to compensate/check/adjust for various sizes for seeds per pound. Set the population for the year....done deal, no matter what the seeds per pound are. I don't believe the other posters with 150-200 ppa N credit- I've always seen about 80 lbs in common literature.
 

[Cooney Minnie]

The 150 to 200 is the accepted number here in WI. PLease feel free to double check that. The 80 lb number would be for alfalfa only allowed one year of growth-the year seeded. A friend of mine has done lots of cover crop work through both public and private sources, and gets 50 to 60 from Red clover following wheat... in only the growing season from July till freeze! And thats been replicated many times.

The newest numbers would indicate 150 lb the 1st year, another 50 the second year following alfalfa sod. Any extra N for corn following alfalfa (70-80% stand) is wasted money.
 

[paul]

My experience with old stands of alfalfa is 150-175 bu corn, no N added. (Need to keep the P & K up tho, and my started might have added 10 lbs of N!)

Test strips with NH3 added were no higher in yield.

My soils kinda peaks at 175, highly varriable hills/valleys keep me from ever hitting a good year of weather for _all_ the soil types in a round on my fields. Perhaps if you can regularly top 200bu you'll need extra N, but seems in my clays, the old alfalfa fields add enough N for a typical full corn yield.

Plowdowns, where the alfalfa/clover is a year or less old, don't supply so much.

As always, that is 'here'; different soils, climate, goals can lead to very different needs.

--->Paul
 

[Bill(Wis)]

I'd plant corn for the resons below, BUT, you do know that 38" rows are not the norm any more? Haven't been the norm for over 25 years. Will you be able to find someone with a combine that has a 38" four row corn head?
 

[dboll]

if you fall kill alfalfa the ground will mellow out over the winter making no-till alot easier than spring killed, too late if you are in a northern state, find some Kinze units,they are worth it, you could probably locate some on Craigslist, just make sure the plates are not worn out, four down pressure springs on the parralel links will do alot,originally the 7000's usually had two per row, Shoup has the kits, make sure the openers are 14.5 to 15 inches in diameter
 

[Roger in Iowa]

Sounds like this is a one time deal.

Use your bean cups. Double plant at the lowest rate. Double plant by offsetting your drawbar and drive in the same tracks the second pass but going the opposite direction. You get 19" rows that way.