Beet harvesting

foxer3640

What are conditions like for beet harvesting in your area? I've been taking out my own fodder beet and some for hire in south Wexford and have found conditions to be almost impossible. More rain on the way next week apparently. Two thirds of beet crops still in the ground in this area.

freedominacup

foxer3640 wrote: »

What are conditions like for beet harvesting in your area? I've been taking out my own fodder beet and some for hire in south Wexford and have found conditions to be almost impossible. More rain on the way next week apparently. Two thirds of beet crops still in the ground in this area.

Both locals who grow for sale having horrendous difficulties. One was down to sixty tonnes in the yard Christmas week. Considering he has several customers taking a couple of hundreds tonnes each he was in a bit of a bind. I'd say conditions have improved hugely since the weekend close to ideal by now.

20silkcut

Can't ya pull it by hand

frazzledhome

freedominacup wrote: »

Both locals who grow for sale having horrendous difficulties. One was down to sixty tonnes in the yard Christmas week. Considering he has several customers taking a couple of hundreds tonnes each he was in a bit of a bind. I'd say conditions have improved hugely since the weekend close to ideal by now.

Same up here. Lads would pull and if a guy got stuck he'd get a few loads and return when he pulls. That all went well till ground got wet and now it's getting scarce.

I see a few guys back in dry ground on Sunday, more in desperation than anything. Good drying here today so barring heavy frost they'll be back at it tomorrow.

Tops are becoming a concern after all the rain but seem to be holding up. I'd say if frost comes the Thyregod will be in action. Used to hate that yoke with stones having to be picked out while washing. It's a super feed but I don't miss the scutter of eashing one bit, would love 40 acres of tops for weanlings all the same

farmersfriend

Pulling ours today, it's in a dry field if there really is such a thing this yr.

freedominacup

frazzledhome wrote: »

Same up here. Lads would pull and if a guy got stuck he'd get a few loads and return when he pulls. That all went well till ground got wet and now it's getting scarce.

I see a few guys back in dry ground on Sunday, more in desperation than anything. Good drying here today so barring heavy frost they'll be back at it tomorrow.

Tops are becoming a concern after all the rain but seem to be holding up. I'd say if frost comes the Thyregod will be in action. Used to hate that yoke with stones having to be picked out while washing. It's a super feed but I don't miss the scutter of eashing one bit, would love 40 acres of tops for weanlings all the same

One thing you'll never see is a Thyregod working around here. There'd be some tare after it.

Dawggone

I see a few of you lads here know ye'er beet....!

Will the know-how about beet growing be as common and deep in 15yrs? Hopefully it will.

leg wax

on way home from greengrass farm today saw 2 deers pulling a harvester some mess.

frazzledhome

leg wax wrote: »

on way home from greengrass farm today saw 2 deers pulling a harvester some mess.

There's the problem 1 Massey would've managed it

frazzledhome

Dawggone wrote: »

I see a few of you lads here know ye'er beet....!

Will the know-how about beet growing be as common and deep in 15yrs? Hopefully it will.

Was my favourite crop to grow. Do things right and you'd get some satisfaction in October filling trailers for Thurles and later Carlow.

Do you remember opening drills for the seeder? Boss man would be on you like lightening if there was the slightest wobble:):)

foxer3640

Managed to take out around 100 tons for a customer toady with the armer. Headlands were a bog but the field was fairly dry so the old 110-90 was singing Starting to use the thyregod a bit now. Had it out 3 times last week when the armer just wouldnt work at all because of ground conditions.

bogman_bass

how is the thyregod able to work while the armer cant? (I know nothing about beet)

frazzledhome

foxer3640 wrote: »

Managed to take out around 100 tons for a customer toady with the armer. Headlands were a bog but the field was fairly dry so the old 110-90 was singing Starting to use the thyregod a bit now. Had it out 3 times last week when the armer just wouldnt work at all because of ground conditions.

Was it sliding out if the drill, hardly or tops in shyte?

Dawggone

frazzledhome wrote: »

Was my favourite crop to grow. Do things right and you'd get some satisfaction in October filling trailers for Thurles and later Carlow.

Do you remember opening drills for the seeder? Boss man would be on you like lightening if there was the slightest wobble:):)

As a child sbeet made me weep, a lot.

Before Thyregod's came on the scene, and on a year like this, the leaves would be goosed from frost (and ramularia!), the losses from the Armer would be big, so we were having to pick the losses by hand...

A huge loss to the country. Excellent crop for soil fertility and nice money at a quiet time. Excellent break crop.

I did love to grow it though. Usually on conacre which was always a challenge.
If you can make a good fist of growing beet, there aren't too many crops that would fail you.
Before auto steer the exactness of beet drills had to be vital and let's face it, the straightness of your drills were directly proportional to how good a farmer you were!
I can't get that way of thinking out of my head....of course the new gang all have RTK now.

frazzledhome

Sorry but I'm going to derail this completely.

I'm watching a Doc on Ww2 here and they're in beautiful barley fields in Northern France.

Dawg do you come across much stuff while tilling your ground? Too far south?

Dawggone

frazzledhome wrote: »

Sorry but I'm going to derail this completely.

I'm watching a Doc on Ww2 here and they're in beautiful barley fields in Northern France.

Dawg do you come across much stuff while tilling your ground? Too far south?

No. Too far south. Thankfully.

foxer3640

bogman_bass wrote: »

how is the thyregod able to work while the armer cant? (I know nothing about beet)

Much bigger wheels on the thyregod and it's a much better balanced machine than the armer for traction. The biggest problem with the armer is that when it starts to sink the plough goes really deep and pulls the machine down even more.

foxer3640

frazzledhome wrote: »

Was it sliding out if the drill, hardly or tops in shyte?

Tops were good. The drill of beet beside the one I was harvesting was pushing across to the next drill again so I couldn't keep going not even down the hill. In fairness the thyregod worked well until it starred raining. I put big wide low ground pressure wheels on it so that's a big help. Picked the stones out yesterday with the cleaner loader

frazzledhome

foxer3640 wrote: »

Tops were good. The drill of beet beside the one I was harvesting was pushing across to the next drill again so I couldn't keep going not even down the hill. In fairness the thyregod worked well until it starred raining. I put big wide low ground pressure wheels on it so that's a big help. Picked the stones out yesterday with the cleaner loader

What have you pulling Thuregod?

foxer3640

An old ford 8870... Plenty of power and traction. In fairness 120 horsepower would pull it in normal conditions

Dawggone

foxer3640 wrote: »

An old ford 8870... Plenty of power and traction. In fairness 120 horsepower would pull it in normal conditions

Funk box would be handy for lifting beet.

freedominacup

Dawggone wrote: »

No. Too far south. Thankfully.

Are those lads who deal with the unexploded ordnance still active in your area? I remember a radio documentary on them a few years ago. They said these lads couldn't buy a meal or a drink when in uniform.

Brown Podzol

Beet was grown on this farm every year from when the factory opened in Mallow
to sometime in the '70s. Father gave it up then as all the work was going out of it with the advent of precision seeding, spray for weeds and mechanical harvesting. If there was no work in it there couldn't be money out of it.

foxer3640

The beet men around here are a dying breed. Most of them are in their 60s and with the harvesters getting older one by one they're retiring themselves and the harvester.

Brown Podzol

foxer3640 wrote: »

The beet men around here are a dying breed. Most of them are in their 60s and with the harvesters getting older one by one they're retiring themselves and the harvester.

What I really miss is the super pressed pulp. Consistent quality product. Cows milked well on it and retained body condition. Assessed feed stocks Sep. and order. Paid for it following April.

Greengrass1

Brown Podzol wrote: »

What I really miss is the super pressed pulp. Consistent quality product. Cows milked well on it and retained body condition. Assessed feed stocks Sep. and order. Paid for it following April.

I remember that's as a young lad. Dad would go to Carlow with the tractor to get a trailer load of it and pit it with brewers that evening.

foxer3640

I can still remember the lovely smell from the pulp

freedominacup

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I remember that's as a young lad. Dad would go to Carlow with the tractor to get a trailer load of it and pit it with brewers that evening.

Got us out of a serious hole in '97. Maize was beyond terrible. Half our winter feed was supposed to come from maize. Got around 200 tonnes of it and brewer's delivered as we needed it. A lot of straw fed that winter too.

Dawggone

freedominacup wrote: »

Are those lads who deal with the unexploded ordnance still active in your area? I remember a radio documentary on them a few years ago. They said these lads couldn't buy a meal or a drink when in uniform.

I've never heard of them Free but I'm assuming that there is no need for them in these parts as the battles were to the E and NE.

Dawggone

foxer3640 wrote: »

The beet men around here are a dying breed. Most of them are in their 60s and with the harvesters getting older one by one they're retiring themselves and the harvester.

I was thinking that alright. Is it hard to get parts for Armer's now? God but they were hateful machines. The factories kept them popular because of stones (even though all beet was floated on water to seperate).

foxer3640

Dawggone wrote: »

I was thinking that alright. Is it hard to get parts for Armer's now? God but they were hateful machines. The factories kept them popular because of stones (even though all beet was floated on water to seperate).

Ger Murphy in Clonegal still has all the parts. They pretty much keep on going as long as you put a few bob into them every year.

frazzledhome

foxer3640 wrote: »

I can still remember the lovely smell from the pulp

And the heat

We'd bring a few back loads when taking beet, great feed

frazzledhome

foxer3640 wrote: »

Ger Murphy in Clonegal still has all the parts. They pretty much keep on going as long as you put a few bob into them every year.

I see Cross engineering with new single and twin rows at ploughing

frazzledhome

Dawggone wrote: »

I was thinking that alright. Is it hard to get parts for Armer's now? God but they were hateful machines. The factories kept them popular because of stones (even though all beet was floated on water to seperate).

It's a great sight to see a good operator working a twin row. Great skill to hit the drill without slowing or knocking out the first meter of beet.

frazzledhome

Dawggone wrote: »

I was thinking that alright. Is it hard to get parts for Armer's now? God but they were hateful machines. The factories kept them popular because of stones (even though all beet was floated on water to seperate).

Do you rem all the bastard grease nipples on the rail alone. Horrible job

Jaysus I miss beet, going away from this thread

Dawggone

frazzledhome wrote: »

Do you rem all the bastard grease nipples on the rail alone. Horrible job

Jaysus I miss beet, going away from this thread

Yep and I won't forget tapping the pulleys on the rail with a hammer to get them going when frozen...:(

Dawggone

frazzledhome wrote: »

I see Cross engineering with new single and twin rows at ploughing

His own design??

fergus1001

Dawggone wrote:

His own design??

No they are carbon copies of armer gear from what I seen ?

frazzledhome

Dawggone wrote: »

His own design??

I didn't take a very close look but without livery very Armer looking.

He makes a super beet washer so I'd imagine a few improvements

tractorporn

I saw a agrifac six row self propelled beet harvester on the road between Tullamore and Killeigh this morning. Absolute monster of a yoke doing 30k down the road.

Dawggone

frazzledhome wrote: »

I didn't take a very close look but without livery very Armer looking.

He makes a super beet washer so I'd imagine a few improvements

Seen one of his beet chopper/washer locally. Impressive. Towed by artic.

Dawggone

tractorporn wrote: »

I saw a agrifac six row self propelled beet harvester on the road between Tullamore and Killeigh this morning. Absolute monster of a yoke doing 30k down the road.

SP 6 row harvesters are all you will see here. I wonder how they cope in wet conditions.

tractorporn

Dawggone wrote:

SP 6 row harvesters are all you will see here. I wonder how they cope in wet conditions.

This yoke had so much rubber under it I actually think it would cope a bit better than the tractor harvester combo

leoch

The road along the dump I know it well u from that area tractorporn???

tractorporn

No I was only passing through in the van for work. Don't live a million miles away though across the border in Westmeath.

Greengrass1

http://www.donedeal.ie/view/11185918

She's been up on done deal a while

foxer3640

Is that the one Simon cross brought across from England I wonder?

frazzledhome

Dawggone wrote: »

As a child sbeet made me weep, a lot.

Before Thyregod's came on the scene, and on a year like this, the leaves would be goosed from frost (and ramularia!), the losses from the Armer would be big, so we were having to pick the losses by hand...

A huge loss to the country. Excellent crop for soil fertility and nice money at a quiet time. Excellent break crop.

I did love to grow it though. Usually on conacre which was always a challenge.
If you can make a good fist of growing beet, there aren't too many crops that would fail you.
Before auto steer the exactness of beet drills had to be vital and let's face it, the straightness of your drills were directly proportional to how good a farmer you were!
I can't get that way of thinking out of my head....of course the new gang all have RTK now.

You are so right. Pride kept drills straight, it was as you say a sign of your attention to detail and that what's required to grow beet. Even if you messed up the ploughing you were at a disadvantage straight away.

It was a great lesson on how to manage soil as much as grow a crop. Feed the soil and you'd grow super beet crops. I see dairy guys at it now and it would turn your stomach to look at it. The little things they miss like Boron or skimping on beet compound, trying to manage with one spray, not hitting weeds in time, sowing too early.

Field near me I pass daily and how the guy didn't walk through it to pull the wild beet is beyond me. It's pulled now but turned my stomach all year.

kevthegaff

foxer3640 wrote:

What are conditions like for beet harvesting in your area? I've been taking out my own fodder beet and some for hire in south Wexford and have found conditions to be almost impossible. More rain on the way next week apparently. Two thirds of beet crops still in the ground in this area.

I remember out I. The field pulling wild beet. Must have been 4-5. Saw lots of beet in Poland last year

Brown Podzol

frazzledhome wrote: »

You are so right. Pride kept drills straight, it was as you say a sign of your attention to detail and that what's required to grow beet. Even if you messed up the ploughing you were at a disadvantage straight away.

It was a great lesson on how to manage soil as much as grow a crop. Feed the soil and you'd grow super beet crops. I see dairy guys at it now and it would turn your stomach to look at it. The little things they miss like Boron or skimping on beet compound, trying to manage with one spray, not hitting weeds in time, sowing too early.

Field near me I pass daily and how the guy didn't walk through it to pull the wild beet is beyond me. It's pulled now but turned my stomach all year.

Often thought that on an outside piece of ground to maximise feed grown for a dairy farm a rotation of one third beet, two thirds RVP type grass. Would soak up a lot of slurry and provide a lot of quality feed and grazing for weanloigs at the backend.