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  • From: John Hendrickson <jhendric AT wisc.edu>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Williams Tool System
  • Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:33:30 -0500

I know a couple here in Wisconsin who are very pleased with their Williams Tool System. They grow about 3 acres of mixed crops and use it for stale bedding and with a variety of sweeps and knives. I do not think their soil is particularly stoney. I would agree that it is unlikely to be as precise and effective as some belly-mounted set-ups. I was told by the Market Farm Implement folks that they were preparing a video about the Williams cultivator and I asked for one when it was ready but haven't seen anything yet.

Now for my cultivation question: what specific cultivators would folks recommend for the following crops:

1. Roots (carrots, beets, turnips)

2. Alliums (onions, shallots, leeks and scallions)

I already have a wheel hoe and find this very helpful for both alliums and roots but need something tractor-mounted as I look to expand. Thanks.

-John

At 02:42 PM 7/25/2006 -0600, you wrote:

Sounds like somebody could avoid a lot of work and expense, and improve
production by going no-till with winter cover crops. It's heavily
researched and reported by ATTRA and others. You can do it with or without
herbicides.

paul tradingpost AT lobo.net

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.
--Henry David Thoreau
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 7/25/2006 at 4:28 PM David Inglis wrote:

>> Is it God Sent, like they say it is?
>There is no such thing.
>Like Paul said, we use it as part of a system. Basket weeders,
>Bezzirides etc. Unlike Paul I do like the side knives etc but I am
>mostly using mine to clean up to within two inches of the row and
>dealing with the in row weeds in other ways. I set mine up with a
>Bezzirides guidance system that runs on the edge of the bed but unlike
>the guidance system offered by Market Farm Implements it does not use
>any extra land. Our Williams is mounted on the back of a Kubota 245H
>with belly mount weeders; because of the guidance system I can set up
>the knives and sweeps, put down as many of the tines as the crop canopy
>allows and go; no looking back.
>But: The Williams will make YOUR land look like a Pebble beach because
>the tines grab any rocks and flip them over to be washed by the next
>rain. If you really have that many rocks then, short of going through
>the place with a decent rock picker, twice, no cultivator will solve
>your problem except maybe one of those French reverse action tillers
>with an internal screen that leaves all the stones at the bottom of the
>tillage depth.
>We have also found that if you go over the row the Williams will pull
>out starts that have not rooted very well yet. Once rooted most crops
>can be gone over with all the tines down but for the same reason rooted
>weeds will not be taken out with just the tines. It works great for
>blind weeding for us even with what I would regard as moderate amounts
>of rocks.
>Good luck mate.
>Hi Paul.
>David
>Mahaiwe Harvest CSA
>
>
>
>
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John Hendrickson
Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1535 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
608-265-3704
www.cias.wisc.edu




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