D: Getting residue
spread evenly behind
your combine is so critical
to the success of your next
crop. We’ll discuss this
important topic in today’s
Iron Talk. Everyone is
always excited to get
soybean and wheat crops off
the instant they’re ready to
harvest. We fall into that
category on our farm as
well. With corn though, it
may stand in the field just
a little bit longer to dry
down, and the rush in
Northern climates is then to
get it harvested before the
snow flies. Harvest can
often be a rush. However, if
you don’t get your residue
spread evenly, you’re
setting yourself up for
problems with your next
crop. Even if the residue is
just a little bit thicker in
spots, it leads to the
ground not warming up as
fast, and the emergence of
your crop being slowed or
even stopped. We saw this
all across the country in
2019 and 2020. If harvest is
already done on your farm,
act now to move uneven
residue distribution around
and minimize problems going
forward. Some tillage -
hopefully just light tillage
- will be required. A heavy
harrow has become a popular
choice in the north, but
anything light, like a field
finisher, could be a good
option. The trick is to do
as little soil disturbance
as possible, since these
fields will be sitting with
no crop for a while.
Personally, I’d consider
getting some cover crop out
there immediately to protect
your soils from erosion,
too. There is plenty of
information and data
supporting brassica family
cover crops to help speed
the breakdown of residue as
well. If you haven’t begun
or finished harvest yet,
this is a key time for your
farm. No matter what crop
you are harvesting, take
some time - make the
adjustments necessary to
spread your residue evenly
across the field. This will
eliminate costly and time
consuming additional passes
needed to clean things up.
It will also be evident in
faster emergence and thicker
stands of crop next season.
That’s all for today’s Iron
Talk, and now, back to
the show.
