He Makes Terraces With A Moldboard Plow

He Makes Terraces with a Moldboard Plow TILLAGE EUIPMENT Plows 12-3-34 "It's an inexpensive way to make terraces with equipment you already own," says Frank Ptacek, Bruno, Neb., who's practiced "conservation tillage" for 40 years. Ptacek makes terraces in his fields with a 4-bottom plow by simply making several passes around a common dead furrow. He says 5 to 6 passes are enough to move dirt into a terrace that does the job as well as expensive earth-moving equipment. Ptacek does "maintenance" on the terraces with a tractor 3-pt. blade. "I've tried to show this idea to the Soil Conservation Service but they're not interested. They keep sponsoring meetings with companies that use big, expensive equipment. They don't seem to want to hear that all you need to make good terraces is a plow and a blade," says Ptacek. Ptacek is well-known among local farmers for his innovative soil conserving strategies. He puts his crop in with a plow-plant method. It consists simply of plowing and then planting with no disking or harrowing in between. By only slightly modifying his Deere Max Emerge planter (he mounts three cultivator shovels just ahead of each furrow opener on two bars attached to the front of the planter), he says he gets just as good a stand in the rougher ground as farmers who plant conventionally. The benefits - in addition to savings from eliminating trips through the field - include reduced erosion due to better moisture retention by the rougher fields. "I get no cross-ditches on hillsides where I plant on the contour," he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Frank Ptacek, Box 60, Bruno, Neb. 68014 (ph 402 543-2458).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.