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Everybody’s results can be different with the same methods. When I was farming I got into peas because nitrogen was not needed and they were supposed to put nitrogen in the soil. I did exactly as I was told by a friend and also a agronomist. On my farm I never got the big yields to turn a profit with the peas. After growing peas I had soil samples done for four years in a row on the pea ground. The nitrogen never showed up. I was farming to try and make a living so it was back to the standard crops here. Ed k

Pretty substantial fish kill?

Not to the eye so far as floaters, but by the time the water cleared up a bit pretty much everything hit the road except for turtles. We do get the odd visit from time to time, but the don't linger.

They find that here too.

Lots of different reasons for it.


These guys that do a green plow down dont see any gains if they dont plant a crop immediately afterwards.

Turns out that the microbial explosion that takes place after the peas are turned under pretty much wipes out any N that was fixed.

The bugs eat the peas....the microbial numbers explode...and then they go after the N.

No trace of it by spring.....unless you store it in a turnip or something for the winter.

Jim,

by "storing it in a turnip" does that mean you let the turnips overwinter and then turn them under? Harvest them? Let them rot for "manure"?

I kinda get the legume/nitro fixer deal, but not root veggies for nitrogen storing.

Geno

I was wondering the same thing. Are the turnips harvested or plowed?

Yes. The turnip or radish will take up available N and store it in the bulb.


The best thing is to just leave them alone.

Left alone, the bulbs rot and decompose over winter and by the time that process is complete....its time for spring planting.


You can graze the turnips. The cows or whatever will eat the bulbs and leave only a husk in the soil.

The nutrients in that bulb will be converted into cow schit. If you have an operation like mine....cow schit is not safe. The dung beetles will convert the dung into a too volatile source of N.

However....turnips grazed in late fall/winter will be converted into dung and no or very few dung beetles will be on the job at that time.



Bulb crops are the original Time Release Nitrogen.

The above ground growth of the turnips is easily broken down by wild animals and weather/oxidization.

Being a high in N on the Carbon/Nitrogen ratio....the leaves go away nicely.

They stink like crazy though! You do get used to it however....and when the temps get much lower than 0 the smell goes away.

I had a neighbor take a 40 acre field and do the turnip thing. The government had a program some time ago to aid in this practice. After about 5 years the field was seeded to grass because it would no longer produce a paying crop. He has now given up on this and just does regular farming again. Ed k

Thats too bad.


Wonder what he did wrong?

Interesting stuff Jim, thanks. 👍

Could diatomaceous earth help control the dung beetles?

What weed were they trying to control with the Sonar?

Maybe?

Dung beetles are the most important bug on the farm.....as important as bees!


We have worked very hard to increase their numbers.

Saw an article about them in our local "Cattle Mag", a companion to the AgMag. Seems they are critical to getting organic material back into the soil.

Need a few more up where I was hunting the other day, look like some floppies up there were more than a few years old.

I'll try the turnip thing in one of my garden beds, maybe some fall as a cover crop and let them rot over the winter.

Thanks for the lesson Jim.

Geno

Oh...I misunderstood you. You want the beetles in large numbers, I thought they were too prolific. My mistake.

No, no problem.


Not too prolific, you just have to be mindful of them. Nitrogen in a cow pie is pretty stable.


You just have to work with them! We are partners.

I do not know what went wrong. He runs about 100 he’d of cows also. He can use the hay but a good crop would pay better. I hope you can get away from some of the expensive fertilizer and chemicals. Less I put is always a good thing. I know the seed for your system isn’t cheap either. Ed k