Minimalist Farming in Montana

Seeding

Late Fall or Early Spring

Seeding is accomplished in one pass with a disc/hoe air drill. The drill or seeder has a disc opener that cuts through any residue and opens the soil. Fertilizer is placed in the bottom of the disc slot. An inch up from the bottom of the disc, is a side opener for the seed, which is placed to the side of the disc 3/4 inch. Fertilizer is placed for optimal utilization of the plant, without being exposed to the environment. This is the only operation on our farm that disturbs the soil.

Spraying

Throughout the year

The average rainfall in this part of Montana averages 10 inches per year. To enable us to raise a decent crop, we fallow half of our acreage each year and crop the other half. Since there is no tillage on our operation, we control the weeds through the use of chemicals. GPS and technology helps us be judicious, accurate, and safe in our application of our herbicides. Insecticides have not been applied on our farmland in over 30 years.

Harvest

Late July/August

Harvest is always the culmination of our  crop year. It is the result of two years of effort to get to this stage. It also is the start of the next cycle, to bring in a new crop in two years. Our farm "strips" the wheat at harvest versus "cutting". Cutting uses a sickle bar to cut the plant off for threshing, and leaves shorter stubble.
Stripping is done with fingers on a rotating cylinder, that pulls the grain off of the stem, leaving the straw/stubble at full height. The decomposition of the crop residue is slowed down. It is our opinion that this increases the carbon and mulch in the soil, while leaving a standing buffer above the soil. This in turn reduces both wind and water erosion, captures more snow in winter, and provides better shade during the heat of the summer.