Disc Harrowing Field, Preparing it to plant with Grass Hay

Today I am going to start working the field that we plan to plant with grass hay. This will be the first of several times Discing this field, to kill the grass and weeds that are growing it. I am using a 12 foot international Harvester disc harrow to till up the soil and prepare for seed.

Buy T-Shirts and Hoodies on Our Website:

Our Amazon Shop full of great Homesteading items:

Send Mail to:
Country View Acres
P.O. Box 469
Robinson, IL 62454

We live in southeastern Illinois on a 41 acres homestead. We just finished building our log cabin overlooking our pond. We are trying to grow our own food and raise livestock. Follow us on our journey living the rural life and developing our property and becoming more self sufficient.

[Dave-xloc]

Glad to see you going the extra mile by not using chemicals. Good job, don’t worry about any naysayers.

[jameshaynie]

When you work your fields you are getting an ever smaller box which makes for really tight turns when you get to the middle. If you plow up one side then down the middle to start, you can keep your box the same size as you work your way across the field and eliminate those tight u turns at the end.
Good job with the overlap.

[richardperry]

Everybody has an opinion. Do things your way, it usually is fine. I have farmed for years...I don't think I asked anyone their opinion. I just did it...

[patlacivita]

I agree with your “no chemical” decision.
Good work..

[samspade]

I grew up on a dairy farm and your disking of the field was a perfect example of how we farmed 50 years ago. There is nothing wrong with using the methods of the past. I believe today's methods are very hard on the soil (round-up for example). Now today the farmer can produce so much more off the same land, but the crops are not as healthy for people or animals to consume. So farming is a give and take kind of relationship = you'll get back what you put in. I personally think you are doing a good job! (Makes me wish I was young again...ha ha). Thanks for sharing I enjoyed this video.

[stefflus]

I'm not gonna say any of that spraying or mowing.
I'm gonna suggest ploughing it before disc-harrowing it, to turn the turf over.
You might need one 5 or 10 years from now anyways, as you get more unwanted species in your hayfields.

[holdenvsuperstar]

I’m looking forward to seeing this project unfold.

[TomBiggerstaff-gnws]

Excellent way to incorporate organic matter in to the soil that doesn't work as well with kill down chemicals an organic matter is like free fertilizer nice job thanks for sharing

[walterchapman]

I love the smell of freshly turned ground!

[johnsadler]

Good morning! Your wait-disk cycle depends on rain, but if dry, wait a week and hit again. After that, take a look a week later because it might be ready to seed. If you’ll do your next disking on about a 15-degree angle to this one, it will cut better. If you can handle the turning, go entirely perpendicular to the prior pass; that would give you the best result. On a square field, you can start on one diagonal, doubling back on yourself, working out. At the end, turn 90 degrees to the next spot on the return pass. You’ll eventually double-disk the field and end up on the opposite diagonal to how you started. That’s not so easy on a long narrow field - probably easier to double disk as your did with the 50% overlap, but at a slight angle to straight. You won’t have as many pointy areas that way.

[csnanny]

I am so proud of you Evan, you are such a good thinking framer. That field looks so good. No bad comments this morning, I like that. You and Rebecca have a good day and God bless.

[bobjoncas]

....lookin' good, nice job, stay safe and have a great week..

[rickyguidry]

Plowing the vegetation into the ground is a good organic material for the soil.

[Pinziee]

Thx for sharing. Wait a week and plow it than again. Then you defenitly can seeding the grass ;-) . I would also cut some of thoose trees around it. Have a nice day and Greetings from Belgium

[markfin]

Changing the disc blades on the front or rear gangs will only be difficult if they are rust seized at the arbor bolts or if you don’t have a large breaker bar. I’ve used a 3’ large pipe wrench to hold the gang still to the ground. You’ll do well. If the bearings can be pulled, I’d suggest you clean and repack at the same time or replace them. Grease makes the disc work optimally.

[dannesthlm]

As an old farmer boy (erhm, 44 years old) I say that disc works perfectly fine, it even seem to work better then the newer one we had on our farm :)
Around here in where I live, we usually let it sit for about 2 weeks in the summer, then disc it again, it is probably warmer where you live than here, so I think 1-2 weeks will also work fine
Dont feel bad about the discs though, they seem to work just fine as they are, better worry about the bearings if they are good or not :)

[Bamamank]

No chemicals is always the best idea, even if you have to plow the field four times. Wow that little tractor did a fabulous job, at first I thought with only 50 or so horsepower it was going to have trouble. But it didn't even look like it missed a lick. Very impressive, that field should really yield you some fantastic hay. Great job Evan, thanks for sharing the video with us, Jimmy

[keithstiller]

I watch your videos every time you post one and enjoy them. I just watched you discing your new hay field. You are discing it not plowing it! Plowing is a different implement!

[lukepearson]

Next purchase should be a offset flail mower for the hedge rows and trees will really take care of them

[terrycastor]

I know my Dad never used chemicals, mostly because they were expensive. Farmers fed the world for decades without chemicals. It's more work certainly, but definitely better overall.

That TYM didn't seem to even grunt hard. Nice machine. You may need a bigger disc!🤪 I predict this hay field is going to be a winner. Good job, Evan.