Fall Foodplot Time! Going No-Till with a Tar River DRL-072 Grain Drill
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2021
- We continue to learn and share our experience converting our foodplots to no-till for better production at a much lower cost. This video shows all the prep work to get the seed in the ground using a Tar River DRL-072 grain drill.
Two weeks ago we mowed, one week ago hit 'em with glyphosate, and are now ready to drill in the fall seed mix. - Jak na to + styl
Just attached my new Saya 507 Tar River. I immediately remembered your videos and watched again to refresh my memory. I’m feeling intimidated looking at the seed drill. Mostly about setting seed depth.
Congrats David! I really don't concern too much on the seed depth as I plant a mix and they all need different depths. Grant Woods found the same thing I did last year, going a bit more shallow was better for overall germination, so I'm in the .5-1.0" range now. BUT, the drill isn't exactly perfect. The Tar Rivers don't have a lot of travel up/down compared to the high end drills the farmers use. But it still gets the job done, we just need to open a small trench and drop the seed is so it gets seed/soil contact, then 80% of our stuff will germinate and grow. Farmers need better equipment so they get 99.9% germination, it's how they put food on their tables. On the Tar River, I do recall the depth adjustment in the manual being OPPOSITE of reality, but maybe they fixed that now? I also found the black knobs a bit hard to crank, and had to use a long handled screw driver to get leverage. Don't be intimidated, you can't mess it up. Just dig in, make some adjustments, see how it worked, and you'll figure it out quickly. So excited for you!
Another great video. Thanks!
Thanks John!
Thanks Marc, can't wait for the up date....
Thank you, I just ran out there last night, 5 days after planting, and there is already germination in some areas! I'll get an update out in a week or two.
Really good informative video. Thank you
Thanks Todd. All the best to you!
Good stuff again Mark! Looking forward to germination, and hoping you get rain.
Hey Mik, thank you for the kind comment. No rain yet, but I did run out and check last night, and there is germination in some spots, 5 days after drilling in the seed. Come on rain!
another great video on my land here in texas its exactly the same soil.... sandy sandy sandy only farmers in my area plant hay and peanuts. cant wait to get this started on my property. i have also had the same issue doing the Jeff Sturgis way of over seeding, burn down and crimp. i know it must work where hes at but here not so much.
Hey Kevin, thanks for the comment. Things are improving here, but still a long ways to go, but there is HOPE that it will get much better. I wish the same for you and all your sand, too! Good luck this year!
A drill like that is definitely on my wish list. For a herbicide choice you might want to consider clethodim next time. I will kill off all the fescue but won't harm the clover or your seeds. That clover is one of the best companion crops/soil builders you can ask for with the free N it puts in the soil.
Thanks for the comment. It's funny you say that, because I have two gallons of clethodim from two years ago still in the barn just sitting there, and I should have used it. I just woke up that morning, mixed up the tank of glyphosate, and headed out to spray, and THEN saw all the clover. BUT, I have had white clover live through a glyphosate spraying before, so maybe it will make it this time, too?
What is your mix rate for clethodim?
@@George-ro6bw I go with 1 cup clethodim per acre, plus 1 quart of bean oil and 4 cups of granular ammonium sulfate.
@@George-ro6bw I usually go 16 oz cleth. and 16 oz. crop oil. I do the same thing as back 40. Cut short, let the grass regenerate a little then spray.
Great video Mark! New to your channel. You're putting out some great info. Really like the camera positioning on the drill as it slices etc. Catching up on all of your videos now! I'm in central michigan and my ground is also sandy.
Thanks Mike. I'm certainly an amateur with all of this, but just trying to put out info that I hope help others. All the best to you.
I built brackets that clamp to the main frame and I hang 4 - 100lb tractor weights on each side and it works well overseeding my pastures
Thanks Thad. I'm glad to hear that 400#'s works, I want to add weight, but not sure how much is too much, or not enough. This give me a place to start. All the best to you.
I'm currently looking at a "cheaper" option for no-tilling some small food plots. I was looking at the no-till drill from Tar River, but after watching the video, I may save some money and go with the DRL.
Hey Chris! To be clear, I can only test on my sandy soil to say the DRL will work as a no-till drill. If you have soils that are heavier than just sand, I can't say if it will work or not. This spring will be my third planting with the DRL, and I'll keep posting results for your review. So far so good though. All the best to you!
Another awesome video! Quick question, how fast are driving when pulling the drill?
Thank you! Around 3mph, but I probably could go faster....
Great video👍the grain drill on tires that you borrowed that doesn't run on pto just on the hitch and as you move forward it's chain from the axle that turns right? That would work behind a side by side of a 4 wheeler? And I love your tractor 🚜
Hey Marc, yes, just the chain from tire rotation turns the mechanisms, no PTO required. So yes, anything that could pull it would work.
Very informative video! I just ordered a DRL 072 it won't be here until May. I was curious as to what the calculation was you used for the seeding rate?
Hey Justin, congrats on your new drill! For 20 revolutions of the drive cage/wheel, take the desired pounds/acre, divide it by 60, and this is the weight you should get from ONE of the seed cups after 20 revolutions. Good luck, keep me udpated.
Mark great videos on the tar river grain drill. Just have a question maybe you could help me with. In your opinion would the drl72 do just as good of job as the true no till 505 Saya. I need to plant some switch grass and they say your drl72 the field needs to be preped but after watch you go through grasses that were not prepped I was wondering what your opinion is.
My field is 2 ft tall Brome grass. I plan to mow down and spray twice before planting. I just don't want to spent the extra money on a heavier amd more expensive tool if I didn't need to. Plan for about 3 to 5 acres this year and if it goes well more in the up coming years. . Any advice you could give me would be helpful. And thanks for the videos they really helped me learn about grain drill amd no tills.
Hey Chad, the only reason I get away with using a grain drill (DRL072) vs. a true no-tilll drill (SAYA 505) is because we have light, sandy loam soil here. Very light, very easy to penetrate at any time of the year without ever working up the soil. I can't speak to how well the DRL would work in medium to heavy soil as a no till drill. I would also say to be conscious of the residue from the Brome grass after mowing, If you give it enough time to dry well and decompose a bit, you would be able to cut through it with the DRL. But if not, and it is laying criss-cross random after mowing, the DRL discs might not cut through it everywhere, leaving your seed on top for bird food. The coulters on the SAYA are designed to cut through this debris too. I have to make sure I knock down rye and weeds in the direction the DRL discs will be slicing, otherwise the discs can't cut through to the soil and ends up floating on top of the debris. Let me know what I missed to help you with your decision and I'll fill in the blanks. All the best to you.
Hopefully you got the rain from last nights storm 8/24. Hoping our property in Ashton got hit. I know my plots in Ada got some much needed water
We got .04", which is barely enough to wet the grass. Ugh, so basically no rain. I hope you had much more in both of your locations!
You can get a thinner top hook for your quick hitch
Hey Thad, thank you so much for the info! I never even thought about this, so glad you said something. Just did a search online and saw quite a selection, so I'll do some recon and get one that I hope will work.
Another GREAT video Mark - thanks for the update. I am looking at the Green Cover Spring & Fall Release seeds for my food plots as well with the sand. There is a drop off for Green Cover over in Troy MI or do you know of one over on the West side near us. I think I am going to get the no till drill from my conservation district in the spring and give it a try. I am build soil and get the soil balanced yet this fall. Keep your videos coming on your progress.
Hey Grant, thank you for the kind comment. No, I am not aware of a drop off over here on the west side. Maybe I'll look into it for next year? And I highly encourage you to rent the drill and try it out for a planting or two, I think you will see how well drilling works compared to broadcasting. It is a long slow drive with the drill from their office to your property (30-40 mph), but is worth it to learn and get a good planting.
@Grant Emery... curious... how much do they charge to rent the drill at your conservation district? I'm 40 miles east of Lansing so would look closer to my house (in my district - Livingston county)... but curious about the cost. Thanks.
~Mik
@@mik1705 When I checked last year I believe it was about $100 for the day and it was limited to the amount of acres you had to plant - which was less than 10. Your tractor had to be at least so many horsepower, scheduling availability, etc. Give your local soul conservation district/ MSU/USDA extension office a call they are very helpful!
@@grantemery5867 thanks!
Mark, I would like your pros and cons on the Tar River Drill. I am like you in looking for a Drill and I don't want to spend 14, 15, 16,000 bucks on an overpriced seed drill. Thanks in advance and I hope you have a great hunting season.
Hey David, that's a great idea. I'll put together a video this weekend and get it published probably mid next week. Hope that is soon enough for you?
@@theback40 Sounds good. Thank you.
I’m watching all your planting videos again and saw the issue you have with the quick hitch. I too have the quick hitch. I was wondering if you removed the pin on your 072, backed your tractor up so hook is just about the bar and see if the pin can be reinstalled through the quick hitch hook. Just thinking outside the box and hopping to give help back to you. I’m sure you thought about this but just in case you didn’t. I have about five acres from 11 fields and wonder if I can kill all new weed growth then hand seed followed by a 1,000 pound knobbed culti-packer? I have been tilling all my fields since 2001, including last August. Between you and Grant Woods, I’m sold on no till. I am trying to get a 507 as of yesterday and local sales guy said he would see what he can do for me. David
Hey David, yes, I did try that for the top pin but it still didn't fit. However, a gentlement on a comment a few months ago suggested looking for a different top hook for the quick hitch that would have a smaller profile. I haven't done that yet, but intend to at some point in time. Hopefully that will work as you described. As far as broadcast planting, I think it is worth a try. The knobbed culti-packer will hopefully work better than my smooth culti-packer. But it is really going to be about how much thatch you have, and getting the all important seed to soil contact. In order, I would try spraying, broadcasting, then cultipacking. Don't knock the weeds down until you have thrown the seed on the ground. Keep us updated!
She got the look
Hey Donald, so far so good....
I was wondering since you have started no till have you seen a difference in the deer eating your plots? And the amount of deer that is eating it also ? Has anything changed for you ?
Hey Nicholas, yes, I am getting much better fall plots, with more deer activity. THE #1 reason is because my plots don't dry up in late summer, which they often did prior to no-till. I always say moisture is the best fertilizer. This is not to mention the significant cost and time savings. All the best to you.
I’m looking at purchasing a seed drill,has the DRL given any problems? I just wonder how it has held up and what has been broken and how hard is it to get parts? Would you buy it again?
Hey Gene, I have had no problem with it, and nothing has broken. BUT, keep in mind that I am only planting 4 sandy soild acres at a time, so probably has less than 20 acres total on it. It is a LIGHT duty drill, if you have a lot of acreage to plant, and want it to last for a few decades, you may want to consider a heavier duty machine. And yes, so far, I would buy it again. All the best to you!
What part of west Michigan are you from? I’m also from west Michigan and I’m having trouble finding a dealer of the tar river implements. Would love to take a look at one.
I live in Evart and have been looking at buying this drill also. I looks like Ellen's equipment sales in McBain are a dealer. I have not confirmed that yet though.
Thank you I’ll check them out!
Hey guys, I had a hard time finding a distributor, too. BUT, I did finally find the master/wholesale distributor in Lansing, it's Farmco, www.farmco.com/. I called and talked to their rep on the phone about the drill details, and then he directed me to a few equipment dealers where I could make the purchase. I also visited the Farmco warehouse (1.5 hour drive) to see one when they had one in stock. I ended up buying it from Burnips Equipment, BUT, only after I told the sales rep to call Farmco to get pricing and information (he knew nothing about it). It wasn't an easy transaction, but with a little extra work you can get it done.
Thanks...great video. i was wondering if you had tried to add fertilizer with your seed in your larger bin as you planted. I realize it is stainless, but was wondering if the rivets are stainless or steel that may rust? I was also wondering if you had any knowledge of how well the Tar River Saya 507 no till drill would work? We plant about 8-10 acres each year and have had limited germination success with no till broadcasting the seed in the past. Thanks in advance for your help.
Thank you for the kind comment. I have not added fertilizer to the drill. I thought about it for this planting, but decided not to so I can see how the planting does without it. I might add it in next year in the spring if I don't like the results of the planting this fall. At some point in the no till conversion process, you can cut out all fertilizer, and I'm hoping I am there now. As far as the Saya, I have no direct knowledge. There was someone that made a comment on one of the videos on this channel that he had just purchased one, so I'll see if I can find that and maybe get him to post something for all of us to learn from. Good luck on your plantings and upcoming season!
Mark...thanks for the reply. I have a friend that sells seed with the fertilizer added in with the seed. I was just concerned about the stainless steel bin, as I think the rivets are steel and would rust. Good luck this year, and most of all HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!
@@rfb7117 That sounds like the way to go if the fertilizer is customized to your soil sample recommendations. Great idea. You are probably right about the hardware (it is nuts and bolts, not rivets). Maybe I’ll run fertilizer through next spring? Good luck this year!
Mark,
Not sure if it would be convenient to replace the bolts and nuts with stainless steel ones. Please keep me posted.
Thanks, good luck and most of all be safe!!!
@@rfb7117 That is a good idea if they start rusting, but I think there are about 17 million of them (well...there are a lot of them). Is there a way to tell if they are stainless? Maybe something about magnetic or something like that?
Going to wish you put cages around the chestnuts.
Hey Dennis, sure do. I think the tubes killed them, cages are the right answer. I'm caging some crabapples I'm planting this year, no more tubes for this guy. All the best to you.
How deep did you plant the Fall Release Blend?
Hey George, around .75”.
If the Jeff Sturgis method would work for you it would save you thousands. No tractor just a 4 wheeler sprayer and packer max and hand spreader.
Thank you for the idea. I tried his method for a few seasons, but just couldn't get it to work really well, and I think it was because of the sandy dry soil? The weeds are just too strong in those conditions compared to the crop seeds, so I kept losing. I wish I could have made it work, would have saved me lots of cash. Thanks for the comment, and all the best to you.
What distance is 20 turns of the drive wheel in your calibration calculation? I just bought a DRL 072.
Hey Stuart, congrats on the drill purchase! The drive wheel is just under 4' per revolution, x 20 revs = just under 80'. Maybe it is easier to know that 20 revolutions covers .01 acres?
Does tractor speed not play a factor anywhere?
@@garrettgardner853 Hey Garrett, I go pretty slow, probably around 2mph with this because I think it will cut through the thatch and into the soil better. But, this is stricly unscientific and just my opinion. However, I saw a video with one where the guy was flying, probably over 7-8 mph and it was planting very well. However, it was into a prepared seedbed that they had disked.
Do you have permanent deer stands ?? If so can you show us. ???
Hey James, yes, we have a few different ones. Here is a link from a year ago to get you started, but I should probably add doing an update video to my list. czcams.com/video/V61Gbvsggm0/video.html. I also did a review of the Redneck brand blinds about a year ago, you can find those by going to the channel.
Good video. Trade you some of your sandy soil for some of my hard clay.
That is just plain ole funny! I wish we could, then we would have loam and it would be perfect!
Will that drill plant corn?
Hey Kevin, yes, has a large seed bin and a small seed bin. All the best to you.
How do you adjust your seed depth?
There are two black knobs on each side of the back platform, by adjusting these up and down, it moves the back roll cage up and down, which raises and lowers the depth of planting.
Can you explain the calibrating process a little more? I have that same drill and the calibrating it makes no sense to me whatsoever. One would think they would make it just a tad bit easier. Like why did you spin the wheel 20 times? Why did you need to come up with 1.2? I didnt understand anything about it except turn the wheel and weight the bag with seeds in it. Thank you!
And how did you know to get 1.2?
Hey Randy, I am going to put together a better video this weekend while I calibrate and plant (assuming I don't get rained out). But if you can't wait, no problem, just get me the pounds/acre of what you are planting and I'll let you know what the weight of 20 revolutions should be. BTW, 20 revolutions was a completely random number, seemed like enough to get a good calibration...
@@theback40 I can wait. I’m not going to plant until next weekend. I’m in Michigan too, in Vassar and have the exact drill as you. But I will go ahead and tell you what I’m planting. Green cover seeds Summer Release 40 lbs. an acre. I have a lot of sand like you do and trying to make it better. I watched a CZcams video based on calibrating at 150 feet of travel and there is a link to a chart. The guy said to measure the distance around the drive wheel which I believe is 4 feet. So every full spin of the drive wheel the seeder is moving 4 feet. Then take 150 feet and divide it by the circumference of the drive wheel, 4 feet. That’s 37.5. So it would take 37.5 revolutions of the drive wheel to equal 150 feet. On the chart he says for 7 inches distance between disk openers at 150 feet and 40 pounds an acre the sample should weigh 36.5 grams. I’m not at my property so I can’t check it. I’m trying to get it all figured before I go there to plant. Here’s the video I watched, there’s a link in the description to the chart. Thank you answering me, I appreciate it.
m.czcams.com/video/TLv6SmqlYlU/video.html
@@Randy-no5mi Hey Randy, we are planting the exact same mix! I did all of my calculations based on 20 revolutions of the drive wheel (which is a 46" circumference) for our drill model. I came up with .67 oz from ONE cup with 20 revolutions. I use oz. because this is what my scale uses, I can't measure grams on it. Good luck!!!!
Why are you wearing gloves to handle seed?
The inoculant will stick to your hands, turning them black. Also, that is less inoculant for the seeds.
Exactly what George said. That inoculant will be in the cracks in my hands and around my nails for days.