Crop Watch 2008
This report covers the observations from March 20 to April 21, 2008. The next scheduled report will be posted on Monday, May 19.
The photos present a view of our rice fields near Richvale, California in the heart of the Sacramento Valley.
Mowing the Fields
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| Purple vetch serves as the cover crop on this field, which minimizes the need for supplemental fertilizers |
This tractor mows down the cover crop, creating a mat of organic matter which improves soil fertility and tilth. |
In preparation for this season’s planting, we have been in the fields mowing the cover crops that have been growing through the winter season. Cover crops, such as purple vetch, improve the soil fertility and supply organic matter to the field. We use a flail mower over the vetch, which chops the cover crop about six inches above the ground, creating a mat of organic matter on top of the soil. Once we mow, the next step will be to disc our fields in order to prepare them for planting.
Discing the Fields
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| Our tractor hard at work, turning up the hard soil, getting the land ready for planting. |
A freshly disced field is ready for the next step in the process... |
After mowing our fields, the land is ready to be chiseled and disced. This is a vital step in the planting process because it prepares the land, by breaking up the soil in order to create an ideal seed bed, which would be smooth and free of big dirt clods.
First, a Chisel, which is pulled behind a tractor, digs through the soil, opening it up to allow for faster drying. Next, we bring out the heavy disc, also known as a Stubble disc, which is also pulled behind a tractor. This disc's heavy blades slice through the soil, breaking up the larger clods into smaller clods. Then, the Finish disc is hooked up for its turn at breaking down those small clods into even smaller clods, eventually creating a smooth, clod-free soil, which is now ready for planting and flooding.
Check out the Weather in Richvale, Ca