zaphod
Well-Known Member
- Jan 30, 2007
- 2,160
- 0
Potato planting and irrigation systems
Hey--I've got some time so I thought I would throw up some pics of my farming operations. As the season goes on I will try to document what type of tasks we are currently doing.
If you want further detail I can always try to take more pics of a particular operation. JUST LET ME KNOW!!
We will start out with cutting seed and planting potatoes. Potatoes are grown some the same tubers you buy in store except not sprout nipped. There is a sprout inhibitor put on fresh market taters to prevent sprouting on the shelf. Not a good choice for a seed potato. Each seed piece should be around 1.5 ounces with a couple of eyes.
The mother tubers are run through a seed cutter which has cutting disks. Prior to being cut the sizing table on the cutter segregates the tubers by size to present the tubers to the proper array of spaced disks. Some of the larger seed pieces (now cylindrical shaped are then directed a horizontal blade for a another cut to achieve a good size. As we will see later the size profile of a seed lot is important in the proper performance of the the planter.
The first picture is of some people re cutting some seed pieces that are not of the proper profile. The vertical blades are of my design. I used old disk blades to make a stationary knife which the seed piece can be split upon. Much safer than each person having a knife and moving that knife around in space!!!!
I had more pics of the seed cutting operation but since they were taken in a low light warehouse they were a bit shaky. If someone what's more detail I will try again --just ask!!
Next 2 pics are the seed being unloaded from a semi by conveyor belt onto a potato piler. The piler then distributes the seed into the seed holding tub of the planter. We handle thwe seed as gently as possible. It's worth about $25 a 100 lbs. That relates to about $275 an acres planted. 825 acres on my farm = $225,000 investment. Overall it takes about $3,500 per acres to grow potatoes (fertilizer , seed ,labor ,land costs, etc) which for 825 acres would be $2,900,000. Most farmer's carry an operation loan to cover these expenses during the growing season. Hopefully then sales will be greater than $2.9 million.
Next is a picture of the front end of the planter. The tanks you see are for some specialized Voo Doo juice put in the furrow with the seed piece. Each farmer has his own mix composed of some popper fertilizer, seed protectant, humic acid etc. The larger majority of the fertilizer has already been put down with a row marker. The planter then follows the row maker's pattern placing the seed over the band of fertilizer placed about 12" deep. The seed is at 8" and spaced from 6" to 15" depending on the variety.
Hey--I've got some time so I thought I would throw up some pics of my farming operations. As the season goes on I will try to document what type of tasks we are currently doing.
If you want further detail I can always try to take more pics of a particular operation. JUST LET ME KNOW!!
We will start out with cutting seed and planting potatoes. Potatoes are grown some the same tubers you buy in store except not sprout nipped. There is a sprout inhibitor put on fresh market taters to prevent sprouting on the shelf. Not a good choice for a seed potato. Each seed piece should be around 1.5 ounces with a couple of eyes.
The mother tubers are run through a seed cutter which has cutting disks. Prior to being cut the sizing table on the cutter segregates the tubers by size to present the tubers to the proper array of spaced disks. Some of the larger seed pieces (now cylindrical shaped are then directed a horizontal blade for a another cut to achieve a good size. As we will see later the size profile of a seed lot is important in the proper performance of the the planter.
The first picture is of some people re cutting some seed pieces that are not of the proper profile. The vertical blades are of my design. I used old disk blades to make a stationary knife which the seed piece can be split upon. Much safer than each person having a knife and moving that knife around in space!!!!
I had more pics of the seed cutting operation but since they were taken in a low light warehouse they were a bit shaky. If someone what's more detail I will try again --just ask!!
Next 2 pics are the seed being unloaded from a semi by conveyor belt onto a potato piler. The piler then distributes the seed into the seed holding tub of the planter. We handle thwe seed as gently as possible. It's worth about $25 a 100 lbs. That relates to about $275 an acres planted. 825 acres on my farm = $225,000 investment. Overall it takes about $3,500 per acres to grow potatoes (fertilizer , seed ,labor ,land costs, etc) which for 825 acres would be $2,900,000. Most farmer's carry an operation loan to cover these expenses during the growing season. Hopefully then sales will be greater than $2.9 million.
Next is a picture of the front end of the planter. The tanks you see are for some specialized Voo Doo juice put in the furrow with the seed piece. Each farmer has his own mix composed of some popper fertilizer, seed protectant, humic acid etc. The larger majority of the fertilizer has already been put down with a row marker. The planter then follows the row maker's pattern placing the seed over the band of fertilizer placed about 12" deep. The seed is at 8" and spaced from 6" to 15" depending on the variety.