July 15, 2024
By Becky Feikema
Did you know that most of the yield potential is determined when the corn plant is only about 12” tall?
Stress such as weed pressure, drought, too much rain, disease and not enough fertilizer can seriously diminish yields. This year our crop has already experienced a few of these.
In June we had approximately 15 inches of rain and experienced extreme flooding, similar to the rain event in 2014 that was the impetus for changing our cropping practices. 10 years ago, we were trying to minimize tillage as much as possible, but we were still turning the majority of the soil. That year, we experienced so much erosion due to rain and nutrient loss due to ponding.
We decided to change our tillage approach and purchased a strip-till machine, which only tills a 10-inch-wide strip of the soil and leaves the residue from the previous crop undisturbed. The next spring, our planter follows that same strip and plants the seed. The idea is that the residue will help hold the soil and prevent erosion. Other benefits include better water infiltration to decrease ponding. In addition, we started planting a cover crop that would grow in the fall after harvest and then again in the spring before our primary crop, thus keeping a living root in the soil as long as possible.
This year was a true test of how well the system worked. We saw much less washing and gullying – the nutrient rich soil stayed where it was supposed to instead of ending up in the ditches and streams. The soil also was able to absorb more rain because of the increased organic matter (soil carbon) and channels created by decaying roots. While we did have some ponding still, that also was reduced. We knew along the way for the past 10 years that this system worked but this past June was a confirmation.
In other news, by now most of the fertilizer and herbicide applications are complete. We are busy with baling hay for feed for the cattle and will soon begin harvesting our rye, oats and triticale. Most of our calves that came in in the fall of 2023 are at market weight and are being shipped to Cargill for processing. We are planning a trip to Madison, WI to attend the National Strip-Till Conference where our documentary, From the Heartland” will be shown with a panel discussion to follow and also speak at one of the sessions about how to implement animal manure into a strip till system. As you know if you have been on our farm, livestock is key to a system looking to maximize natural resources and reduce our inputs of synthetic fertilizer.
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