nebraska irigated corn fields

[jd56]

was driving across hwy 30 in nebraska last week and noticed the ditch irrigated fiejds of corn would come out to end of field borders with little room to turn on ends was wondering how you could turn a combine around when harvesting the corn

 

[SkipperII]

Was it possibly corn for green chop. These new choppers don't need headlands, or even to follow rows.

 

[showcrop]

When driving on a back road in Lancaster PA area one time, I couldn't help but notice that the corn was planted within three feet of the pavement. Then rounding a curve and up a hill suddenly the snouts of a combine came out of the corn and within two feet of the pavement before stopping.

 

[matthies]

Very carefully.

 

[Texasmark]

On the subject of irrigated fields........I was on the way to Lubbock, Tx. once and it was fall and everything was showing the effects...known for its cotton growing, all that was in huge bales ready to be hauled off....except one huge field. Getting closer to it, it was a field of sunflowers, 6 or so feet tall with huge flowers-seed heads....black seeds and yellow flowers. I also noticed ditches full of water and Ford Industrial V8 engines running water pumps to keep the irrigation ditches full.

 

[DeltaRed]

We just take 12 or 16 rows off the ends by driving across the rows. Problem solved......

 

[paul]

It’s interesting how things are done differently in different regions.

Irrigation - I see that 30 miles away on small scale, but locally we spend our money on tile to get excess water away, almost always too wet here. Except about 2 weeks every late summer just dry enough to burn up the small sand veins of course.

Road ditches - small gravel township roads have 33 foot to center easements at least, tar roads county roads and state roads can have 45 to 150 foot easements on each side to center, and those grass ditches are enforced most always. If there is an accident and crops are planted too close the farmer/ land owner gets involved in the lawsuit for inhibiting sight lines…. You don’t ever plant up to within feet of the road surface here! With the clay soil and hard frozen winters and snow and rains in summer, nearly all road beds are elevated many feet above the road ditch bottoms so you couldn’t if you wanted to. A whole lot of grass hay comes from road ditches, no crops.

Always have end rows, really can’t make it work without them, need room to turn the planter around.

Here and there, not saying one is right or wrong. Just depends on local situations.

Paul

 

[Fixingfarmer]

I read where some of the larger farmers will plant one pass around the outside with a 36 row and then to match the sprayer they will go around again but with only one half of the planter making ghost rows so you can still pull up with the planter in the normal spot but there isn’t as many end rows to combine. If even the largest combines are half or a 1/3 the size of the planter there’s all kinds of fun stuff they can do. Makes us here look like play time.

And cows like someone else said the chopper won’t care as compared to a combine

 

[Brendon-KS]

I grew up in SE Colorado where at the time all fields were furrow irrigated, either from a ditch with syphon tubes or a gated pipe. End rows were not planted with corn since they would be going crosswise to the furrows. When combining guys would make a pass or two on the ends bouncing across the furrows to get what they could (which in corn wasn't all of it since they were 90 degrees to the rows) then often come in with a disk to level out the headlands before doing the rest of the field.

 

[jd56]

thanks for your replys curosity solved

 

[used red MN]

I read where some of the larger farmers will plant one pass around the outside with a 36 row and then to match the sprayer they will go around again but with only one half of the planter making ghost rows so you can still pull up with the planter in the normal spot but there isn’t as many end rows to combine. If even the largest combines are half or a 1/3 the size of the planter there’s all kinds of fun stuff they can do. Makes us here look like play time.

And cows like someone else said the chopper won’t care as compared to a combine

Read Brandon’s reply 9, the type of irrigation system used dictated that end rows cannot be planted in this situation. For water flow the rows have to run up right against the irrigation ditch.
In reply to your mention of “ghost rows” most modern guidance controlled planters have row clutches that turn off the seed planting as needed.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Read Brandon’s reply 9, the type of irrigation system used dictated that end rows cannot be planted in this situation. For water flow the rows have to run up right against the irrigation ditch.
In reply to your mention of “ghost rows” most modern guidance controlled planters have row clutches that turn off the seed planting as needed.

Yes that is true on the clutches I wish my little 16 row had the individuals but they still have the ability to clutch one half of the planter like I do even on my antique then but since they are 36 rows and not a 48 they clutch one half so the 135 sprayer lines up for one pass around the outside

Then they have the ghost rows still drawn there and pull up like normal but on the screen they can see exactly where it’s planted

People do crazy things now that even 20 years ago aren’t possible

 

[Brendon-KS]

I read where some of the larger farmers will plant one pass around the outside with a 36 row and then to match the sprayer they will go around again but with only one half of the planter making ghost rows so you can still pull up with the planter in the normal spot but there isn’t as many end rows to combine. If even the largest combines are half or a 1/3 the size of the planter there’s all kinds of fun stuff they can do. Makes us here look like play time.

And cows like someone else said the chopper won’t care as compared to a combine

In the furrow-irrigated regions I'm familiar with you'll never see a pull-type planter of any size. 3-point planters are the standard so you're limited to 16 rows at the most. This is due to all the maneuvering that is required making headland turns and also being able to be more precise keeping the rows centered on the beds.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Just being hung on a 3 point would be enough to make a short headland in itself