What the gulls are saying about your field biology
It’s fairly common to see a large flock of gulls behind the the tractor during tillage, and you probably have the messy windshields to prove it! As frustrating as the later problem is to have, it isn’t a bad thing to see those gulls hanging around behind the tiller. However, it’s not just about
if they are present but rather,
how long they are hanging around.
Why are the gulls in the field?
Gulls are the first indicator of soil biology and health when you are completing fall tillage. As birds that can smell dirt from a mile up in the sky, they know that freshly tilled dirt = earthworms turned up for easy access. Furthermore, as wild birds that don’t know where their next meal might come from, their goal is to scavenge as much as possible out of the field until they are full.
How long should gulls be staying in the field?
Once a flock lands in your field, they should be staying in the field until they are full, or for at least fifteen minutes. Some gull indicators you can watch for as you till are whether they are immediately grabbing worms or looking around and needing to scavenge to find them, as well as, continuing to stay and eat worms in the area or flying off to check out your neighbor’s fields.
If the gulls are hanging out in your field for hours (and turning all of your equipment white), this is a great sign of soil health and testing should prove that, while showing which products to use to enhance your yield. If the gulls are taking off right away after landing in search of a different opportunity, this is an indicator of little to no food for the biology of your soil, meaning it is nearly dead.
How do you get the gulls to stay longer in the field?
When soil biology (and the gulls) are practically non-existent in your field, it means you need to start building WEOC (water-extractable organic carbon). WEOC availability helps to impact the availability of nutrients in the soil, as well as its microbe activity and ability to hold water.
Increasing your WEOC does not mean to start applying nutrients via the “put more on” approach. Rather, let’s take a look at your soil, do some testing, and have a conversation about an approach to build a long-term strategy for your soil’s health to help enhance yields.
Ready to enhance yields and increase ROI next year?
Give us a call to get started today!