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Farmer Tonis

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Farmer Tonis

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farmer.tonis

🇪🇪 Farmer from Estonia
🌱 I create humorous and educational farming content
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Hidden feature you didn't know! #farmertonis

Hidden feature you didn't know!

#farmertonis

Suddenly LingLongs make sense!😅 #FarmerTonis

Suddenly LingLongs make sense!😅

#FarmerTonis

Why won't it start?🤦 #FarmerTonis

Why won't it start?🤦

#FarmerTonis

What else has devil created to ruin your day? #Fa

What else has devil created to ruin your day?

#FarmerTonis

In 🇪🇪 Estonia, we can experience pretty harsh wint

In 🇪🇪 Estonia, we can experience pretty harsh winters, with temperatures sometimes dropping as low as -30°C.

At the same time, autumns have become somewhat longer, and new hybrid WOSR varieties are growing fast, so sowing dates have shifted from the beginning of August towards the middle of August.

To prevent WOSR from producing too much biomass above the ground instead of below the ground, the use of a PGR (plant growth regulator) at the right timing is necessary.

On the first field, I used a PGR at the 4-leaf stage, when more than 450 growing degree days had accumulated.

The second field was so wet all the time that I couldn’t do anything before it was already kind of too late.

These pictures show how somewhat early PGR use had an effect for a whole month or more, keeping the growing point exactly at soil level, and how not doing anything allowed the growing point to rise well above the soil surface, putting it at risk of winter damage.

How do you manage autumn growth in WOSR in your conditions? Do you rely on sowing date, PGR timing, or both?

Hemp stubble, please don't hurt me anymore 😢 #Far

Hemp stubble, please don't hurt me anymore 😢

#FarmerTonis

🫣🫣🫣 Thoughts and prayers 😅 #FarmerTonis

🫣🫣🫣
Thoughts and prayers 😅

#FarmerTonis

Spinning wheels with pressure washer never gets ol

Spinning wheels with pressure washer never gets old!

#farmertonis

So far, the common practice has been to sow cover

So far, the common practice has been to sow cover crops after harvesting the main crop. However, this approach did not fit very well into my farming schedule for several reasons:

- The cover crop has relatively little time to grow, especially if autumn is cool and winter arrives early.
- During harvest, I simply do not have enough labour or machinery capacity to deal with additional seeding operations.
- Soil cultivation and a separate seeding pass also add extra costs.

So I started looking for ways to sow cover crops earlier, while I still had time available directly into a standing crop before harvest.

Using a conventional fertiliser spreader was not really an option for small-seeded cover crops because my tramlines are 36 metres wide. Fine seeds simply cannot be spread evenly over such a wide working width.

This led me to the Techneat Outcast system. The machine was originally designed to spread slug pellets from a crop sprayer, but I saw potential to adapt it for broadcasting cover crop seed as well. Mounted on a old sprayer, it allows me to establish cover crops into a standing cereal crop well before harvest.

I have been tuning this system for several years and at last this year, the cover crops look 💪

One of my biggest problems in winter oilseed rape

One of my biggest problems in winter oilseed rape this autumn has been volunteer cereals.

The previous crop here was winter wheat, which was quite badly lodged and wet at harvest, and combine losses were pretty significant in places. The result, of course, is that the volunteer wheat is now growing like there’s no tomorrow. 🫣

The best part is that I’ve already sprayed this field once. But this very wet autumn means the volunteer wheat somehow keeps finding the strength to carry on growing happily.

This time I used @innvigo_eu Jenot Plus 050EC at 2 l/ha against grass weeds. Besides the volunteer cereals, there’s also quite a bit of couch grass here, so let’s see how it handles that.

Now all that’s left is to see what happens to the worst green patch over the next couple of weeks. If Jenot manages to deal with that, maybe we’ll even get a crop from there after all?! 😄

Thanks to Innvigo Eesti for supporting the making of this video!

#FarmerTonis #partnership

I have been using growing degree days, or GDD, as

I have been using growing degree days, or GDD, as a basis for timing autumn growth regulation in winter oilseed rape.

My rule of thumb, using a base temperature of 0°C, is that it takes roughly 200 GDD from sowing to emergence, and after that every additional 60–80 GDD brings another true leaf.

In my conditions, using GDD with a 0°C base, around 450 GDD has repeatedly corresponded quite closely with the 4-leaf stage. I use it as a trigger to go to the field and assess whether the crop is ready for its first PGR application.

There is also recommendation to use GDD basis of +4 but in my experience, it doesn't correlate so well with the actual picture on a field.

So at around 450 GDD, the crop should be close to the 4-leaf stage - a good timing for the first plant growth regulator (PGR) application together with boron.

At around 600 GDD, which can easily happen by the beginning of October, I start looking at whether a second PGR application is needed. And if autumn stays warm and another 150 GDD accumulates, the crop may need regulating again.

Of course, GDD is not the only thing I look at. Variety, sowing date, plant size and actual growth stage still matter.

Why regulate WOSR in autumn?

The aim is to keep the plant compact, with a low growing point and a strong root system going into winter. Instead of allowing excessive above-ground growth and stem extension, we want a well-developed rosette that is better prepared for our harsh winters.

Plant architecture and the potential for side-shoot development are also established during this period, so autumn crop management can have consequences far beyond autumn itself.

Boron is another important part of the programme. WOSR has a relatively high demand for boron, and good boron nutrition supports root development, cell-wall formation and plant development going into winter.

For me, GDD has become a simple way of turning temperature into an actual crop-management decision.

🌱 450 GDD → around 4 leaves
🌱 600 GDD → assess again
🌱 850 GDD → reassess crop growth

And then, most importantly, go to the field and check what the plants are actually doing.

The soil won't take in water anymore. I made a mis

The soil won't take in water anymore. I made a mistake of not considering the amount of rain we had but weather station didn't show that big of amount of percipation to make field like this. 6mms of rain won't cause this! Probably the amount that came down was three times more...

And this field hasn't had water problems in those places, never!

#FarmerTonis

I like the freedom to shape my 105 hour work week!

I like the freedom to shape my 105 hour work week!

#FarmerTonis

With machinery, there’s always a chance that somet

With machinery, there’s always a chance that something can happen.

I’ve been spraying for 15 years without a serious incident. Early mornings, late nights, long trips to distant fields but I never really thought something like this could happen to me.

Then one Monday morning. I finished spraying nice and early before rain arrived. But just 2 km from home, my sprayer suddenly became unstable during road transport and within seconds it was upside down.

Luckily, nobody was injured, no other vehicles were damaged, and the sprayer was empty.

I called 112 and we started the rescue operation. A few hours later the sprayer was upright and back home.

At first, it didn’t look too bad.

But in the end, it was declared a total loss.

And because apparently one disaster wasn’t enough, a few days later my car broke down during our family vacation 😅

That month really made me question whether this whole farmer-and-entrepreneur life was worth it. Maybe a normal 9–5 would be easier for me and my family?

But then something happened that I didn’t expect.

I received so many supportive messages, and people around me genuinely tried to help.

My Horsch dealer Tatoli and my sales manager Meelis were especially supportive and helped me find a replacement sprayer, one that is actually even better than the old one.

It was probably the worst month of my life.

But it also reminded me how many good people I have around me.

People who care about what I do, help when things go wrong, and make me believe in myself and this crazy farming life again. ❤️

Built the spreader out of Techneat Outcast and old

Built the spreader out of Techneat Outcast and old sprayer, using it also for spreading cover crops!

Slugs can cause serious damage to young crops, especially oilseed rape, by feeding on cotyledons, leaves and sometimes the growing point.

The risk is highest in moist conditions, heavy or cloddy soils and fields with plenty of crop residue, where slugs can easily hide and stay active.
One of the main control options is the use of slug pellets.

#FarmerTonis #slugs #oilseedrape

This field has had wet spots which have had a grea

This field has had wet spots which have had a great impact to the yield and made travelling the field difficult.
Used @eversagro Ferro to break the compaction at 25cms and results are already showing!

#FarmerTonis #eversagro #subsoiling

Farming the influence 😅 #farmertonis

Farming the influence 😅

#farmertonis

Fendt 832 Vario – a field tractor that is a very g

Fendt 832 Vario – a field tractor that is a very good asphalt eater? 🚜

I got to spend some time with the new Fendt 832 Vario, and one of the first things you notice is the amount of lights. They are everywhere. 😄 Working in the dark, visibility definitely wasn't an issue.

The 832 is the biggest model in the new 800 Vario range. Its 7.9-litre engine produces 320 hp in normal conditions and up to 343 hp with the additional power boost.

On the road, this tractor feels very much at home. The acceleration and smooth Vario transmission make it an interesting combination of a large field tractor and something designed to cover longer distances comfortably.

It didn't struggle in the field either. Whether pulling a 9m straw harrow at 20kmh or working with a 6 m stubble cultivator, there was no shortage of power or comfort. At around 10 tonnes, though, tractor weight can become the limiting factor when trying to actually put all that power into the ground.

Compared with the Fendt 728, where the cab felt a little tight for me, the 832 is noticeably roomier. For a long working day, I definitely preferred the extra space.

One small detail I also liked was changing the rear linkage between Cat 2 and Cat 3: remove a pin, move the link arm into the other position and put the pin back in. No endless screwing of the linkage parts.

Perfect? Definitely not. I would still like to see proper footrests in the cab. FendtONE also looks very good, but when it comes to GPS and guidance, a certain other shade of green has left a better impression on me. That part is obviously down to personal preference.

After the first test, three words probably describe my impression of the 832 best:

Big, fast and comfortable.

Thanks to Agriland OÜ for the demo
#farmertonis

Estonian agriculture is at a crossroads. Estonia

Estonian agriculture is at a crossroads.

Estonia has fought for years for fairer conditions within the EU. To help close that gap, €546 million in funding over seven years, including national co-financing, has now been allocated as an opportunity for Estonian agriculture.

According to the proposal known to the sector, only €295 million would go to agriculture and the food industry – almost 46% less.

Farmers are asking for the full €546 million to be used to strengthen Estonian agriculture, food production and long-term investment capacity.

#põllumajandusristteel

@eversagro Ferro from @agripartner.ee making its f

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