I just surface broadcast into the standing beans when they yellow. If I got a good soybean field that the deer have not browsed so hard it doesn't canopy, I don't till at all. In the fall, I don't bother with the drill. In the spring, I then use the Kasco to drill large seed like beans and corn. You see very little dirt when you look at one of my min-tilled fields. For most other vegetation, the field looks green, more like it was rolled or crimped than tilled. With heavy vegetation like corn stalks I need to do this early enough so they have time to decompose. This is enough to chew up vegetation like corn stalks and kick a little dirt around and break any crusting. I lift it with my 3 point hitch so the tines barely hit the top inch. I now basically use 3 tools for planting depending on what I'm doing. I have no issues drilling thorough short live vegetation like clover. I have to stop often and get out to check for clogs and remove them. Debris tends to get caught between the openers and mud scrapers clogging the seed tubes. This allows me to lift the drill well above the ground for transport and with a little slack in the chain, it almost acts like a towbehind following the contour of the ground. I solved many of the initial issues by buying a hydraulic toplink and using a short length of chain. I love the seed metering system and you can plant most any see or mix with it. The little Kasco works well in many ways. In the meantime I'm doing something I call min-till. The long term solution is to work on OM, but that takes years. I have heavy clay soil that tends to crust. I ended up buying a used Kasco Versa-Drill for about $3K. I couldn't justify the cost of even a used 'big boy' drill. Man I should have just went with no till to start with! Oh yea, that causes me to think about the discs, bought two of those I did not like before finding my current two. And, that reminds me I bought two tillers before I found a good one. I forgot the cultipacker (bought 3 before I found one I liked). So my advise to the medium size plotter who is thinking about buying equipment - think twice about a no till drill. So I replaced $17,000 worth of equipment for $10,000 to $12,000 while using less seed, spending less time and really getting a better plot in my opinion. Both of my small discs (8' and a folding 14') stayed in the building, another $4,500 or so. My $6,500 small chisel plow stayed in the building. I simply sprayed the fields three weeks ago, waited for two good days, drilled the plots and sprayed. I did not have to run to the farm several days to disc after fields had been plowed, or waiting for them to dry out. I did not burn a trillion gallons of diesel fuel plowing or pulling a disc. I did not have to drag a harrogator to keep the field smooth. I did not have to till or plow the ground. We planted 2O acres with one this weekend. Well a few years ago I did buy a great used one and it is the best 'value' going. After all, it could cost 10,000 to 12,000 for a good used one. Years ago I thought I would NEVER, let me say that again, NEVER buy a small no till drill for small to medium size foodplots. I have fallen on both ends of the spectrum at various stages in my life. We have friends and colleagues on here that do everything from throw and go to massive plots on huge tracts.

Land pride no till drill