[near horse]

Hey Robert – much rain today? Plenty here w/ wind and lots cooler. It’s just me coming (plus my 2 horses). Don’t worry about hay – I still have a bale in my trailer.

I’ll put together a load and bring it down tomorrow (Fri) maybe get there around 2?

[near horse]

Just thought I’d throw in this article I found in my archived computer files (they’re starting to seem like an “e-barn” full of stuff I thought was worthy of saving and promptly forgot about). Of course it’s Anne and Eric Nordell

http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Spring2001/Weeds/tabid/1704/Default.aspx

A paragraph:
Their farm was low in fertility and infested with quackgrass when they bought it. They used summer fallow to eliminate the quackgrass, a method they say is “applicable regardless of the size of the farm.” Anne learned about summer fallow when she worked on a large herb farm in Washington state, where the growers would bring the roots up with a chisel plow and let them dry out in the sun over and over during the summer. At Trout Run, she and Eric use a sweep, then a flexible pasture harrow, which shakes the soil off the roots so that they dry and die faster. The technique “is effective as long as you keep the quackgrass from greening, even if it doesn’t dry,” they said. Following the fallow period, they cover cropped the ground with rye in the fall.

BTW – nice work on the cultivator

[near horse]

Thanks Jenni (spelled it right this time). I have seen others with that arrangement of the pole strap but was never sure of the application/advantage. It does seem like a nice solution.

[near horse]

Thanks – downloaded pics worked fine. Got one more of the rear?:p (the cart’s not yours!)

[near horse]

Okay – so will you also be around Friday if I make a trip down to bring a load of “toys”? I think I’ve got the directions in a PM (you’re probably getting tired of telling me by now ;>) ….. and look for the Jolly Roger?!

[near horse]

Pictures are ALWAYS good. Thanks Marshall.

[near horse]

Marshall – Yep, you hit another point of trouble. On the 2 wheeler I used on Sun, no doubt that lack of tongue weight was an issue. The seat was far enough back of the axle that when I sat down the tongue would lift up. But I mostly stood while harrowing – sat while resting.

On my 3 wheeled version, I have no height adjustment on my front wheel – tongue (pipe) just slides inside part of the frame so height is fixed (too high IMO) right at neck yoke level for my team. That brings up an interesting conundrum RE: alleviating tongue weight. I’ve always been concerned about too much but obviously not enough or zero isn’t that great either. How to design in the ability to adjust to a “happy medium” based on hitch weight. Movable seat is seen most often but IMO needs to be in conjunction with seat placement in relation to the axle. And add in the 3rd wheel and I’m confused about the real benefit etc.

[near horse]

Thanks Jenny – didn’t mean to put you on the spot ;>)

[near horse]

Whoa – wait a minute. Draft ANIMAL power network. No humanoids! Pretty soon we’ll see Andy’s Draft Power Work Out tape with Jane Fonda. :>)

[near horse]

@HeeHawHaven 34372 wrote:

……..I need to start irrigating! It’s been hot and dry!

Dave

Hmmm – maybe Robert’s in the same boat.

[near horse]

I’m afraid to hear what I missed at SFJ this year. Just couldn’t muster the effort to drive down on Tues, back on Fri PM and load up for Colfax early Sat AM. – must be gettin old.

So let’s hear about the auction AND your “loot”! :>)

[near horse]

Robert – put the chili on! I’m planning on being there this Sat 4/28. Keep me posted if it’s tenative or a “no-go”. Also, if HHH or ? wants to show up, I’ll bring my forecart etc down on Friday (is there a safe -ish place for it to overnight?).

[near horse]

So I assume that the trouble is in the length of my breast strap. As you know, Jenny, I have pretty tall horses so I let out the breast straps to get the tongue down into Earth’s orbit. That would allow more swing/sway, I think. Might have to look at Donn’s alteration of harness to D-ring article again.

BTW – what trouble have you been up to, young gal?:o

[near horse]

Tim – one of my buddies built one of these last year (modified an “Arena-vator”, whatever that is). He used it yesterday at our plowing event and I was pretty impressed. I felt like tooth harrowing behind him was a disservice. As you say, hard to assess its impact on weeds (we were in wheat stubble) but in one trip it’s breaking up the ground AND breaking the clods into a reasonable bed.

One of the things I recall from Dick R. at Tiller’s was that springtoothing after other tillage (more than once even) will pop the quack grass clumps up/out and, hopefully, get them drying out ……

[near horse]

Jim – I’m not sure we’re out the woods yet on NAIS. As I understand it is being reworked.

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