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Showing posts from 2015

Soil Compaction Remedies

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Farmers have harvested most of their soybeans and corn. Most fields have been dry (until this week) and farmers are looking to fix compaction problems. This article came from Sjoerd Duiker, Penn State (CORN newsletter 2015-35) and discusses ways to 1) increase soil resiliency to compaction, 2) to avoid compaction, and 3) ways to alleviate compaction. First, soil resiliency is a term that describes the ability of an ecosystem to resist disturbance by resisting damage and recovering rapidly. Soil can be made to resist compaction by eliminating tillage, increasing organic matter content, and maintaining a living soil root system. Long-term no-till farmer will testify that tires sink deeper in tilled soil. Any soil that was tilled will be more susceptible to compaction than a soil that has been in no-till continuously. Increasing organic matter content increases the soil resiliency to compaction, because the spongy humus maintains porosity and also increases aggregate stability. Finally, a

Corn Stalks in Surface Water

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After heavy rains and extensive flooding, a common complaint in rural areas is the movement of corn stalks and crop residue off agricultural fields into roadways, surface ditches, and streams; causing drainage problems. Major questions include why farmers are increasingly using no-till and what can farmers do to prevent corn stalks and corn residue from clogging drainage outlets and ditches and from becoming a hazard on roadways. This factsheet will explain why 1) farmers are using no-till and 2) offer some strategies to reduce corn stalk and corn residue removal from agricultural fields. Some common farm myths are discussed which may be preventing farmers from reducing the corn stalk/corn residue issue. According to the Putnam County Soil & Water Conservation District 2015 transect, approximately 67% of corn acres are planted to no-till soybeans and only 6-7% of soybean acres are planted to true no-till corn. The corn residue including corn leaves, corn stalks, and corn cobs and c

Flood Compaction and Soil Carbon

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  If you dig in the soil this year, you will notice that the soil tends to be harder and more compacted in the top 3-4 inches. This is a common occurrence in a wet year, especially when water has been standing on the soil surface for an extended period of time. Farmers may think it is the weight of water causing the soil compaction. Water weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon and there is 27,156 gallons of water in an acre-inch of water. A field with 12 inches water/acre of land is equivalent to 62.4 pounds pressure per square foot of soil ((12 inches of water * 27156 gallons/inch * 8.34 pounds/ gallon of water)/43,560 square feet per acre)). Tractors and farm equipment have axle loads that weigh 10-20 ton, so our soil scientists tell us that the “weight” of the water is not a major cause of soil compaction. When soils are saturated for long periods of time, soil microbes, especially the anaerobic (lack of oxygen) bacteria dominate and they obtain oxygen for respiration from the soil by stripp

Corn Silage Pricing

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Since corn stands and yields are below normal, farmers may be interested in pricing their corn for corn silage. Two procedures for estimating corn grain yields prior to harvest are the YIELD COMPONENT METHOD and the EAR WEIGHT METHOD. Each method will produce yield estimates that are within 20 bu/A of actual yield. The YIELD COMPONENT METHOD can be used as early as the milk stage of kernel development. When below normal rainfall occurs during grain fill (resulting in low kernel weights), the yield component method will overestimate yields. In a year with good grain fill conditions (resulting in high kernel weights) the method will underestimate grain yields. For the Yield Component Method, Dr. Bob Nielsen at Purdue University suggests that a "fudge factor" of 80 to 85 (85,000 kernels per 56 lb bushel) is a realistic value to use in the yield estimation equation today, since kernel size has increased. Step 1. Count the number of harvestable ears in a length of row equivalent t

Cover Crop Economics

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James J. Hoorman, Assistant Professor and Extension Educator Ohio State University Introduction Cover crops are an added input that cost money to plant, grow, and terminate. Everyone wonders whether that investment in growing cover crops is worthwhile, whether it pays, and how long does it take to recoup the investment? This fact sheet will give some general economic guidelines and general information on what cover crops may accomplish for our soil, air, and water resources. There are several ways that cover crops pay for themselves. The economic benefits may be immediate or long-term. Some of these benefits are additive, others are harder to define. Farmers, gardeners, and homeowners often ask themselves: How much can I afford to pay for cover crop seed and still get a return on my investment? Scenario 1: Cost of Tillage versus Cost of Cover Crop Seed One way of improving soil health is to convert to no-till and start using cover crops. If conventional tillage is eliminated, use the m

Cover Crop Benefits

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Cover crops offer farmers many benefits including protecting soil from wind and water erosion. Live plants provide the energy for soil microbes to recycle and store nutrients to build soil carbon and organic matter. Soil microbes should be considered “soluble bags of fertilizer” since they consume and process 85-90% of chemical reactions involving soil nutrients. Cover crops and microbes together improve soil structure which improves water infiltration and water holding capacity. Cover crops may also reduce weed, insect, and soil disease pressures by adding diversity. Live plants and healthy soils purify and clean air and water. Soil erosion and sedimentation are major agricultural problems worldwide. Dr. David Montgomery (2012) says if farmers lose four to five tons/acre/year of topsoil (USDA-NRCS acceptable rate), they will lose approximately one inch of top soil every sixty years. Farmers are losing 0.5% of our soils every year worldwide due to soil erosion and it takes 500 years to

Corn Myths

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Dr. Peter Thomison, OSU Extension Corn Specialist gave an interesting presentation on several popular corn production practices. Some are myths, some are not. Take the quiz and see how you fare. Does fall applied nitrogen (N) breakdown corn stalks faster? Actually, due to a lack of heat and moisture, fall applied N may not be that helpful. Tillage does not really help either until next spring when the temperatures warm up and the microbes start working. Most corn varieties are planted at a higher plant population now to increase yields and they have more lignin in them to resist lodging. One solution is to plant earlier maturing corn varieties because they are harvested earlier and the soil should be warmer when they are harvested. Most corn stalks are broken down by fungus which grown better under warm moist soil conditions. Bt (GMO) corn residues breakdown slower than conventional non GMO corn? Universities studies for several years have found no difference because they break down