“Optimized Farming throughout the crop year
Before crop establishment
Harvest on the farm is the culmination of a year’s worth of hard work and while it signifies the end of one crop year, it is also the beginning of the next crop year as well.
The management decisions made in the fall will directly impact the performance of the coming crop.
Additionally, management decisions at this time in terms of soil health are an essential focus in the optimization of long-term sustainability on the farm.
“Longterm strategy gives results
It begins at harvest
When it comes to residue management and weed control, the first steps begin right at harvest with the combine itself. Utilizing quality straw chopping equipment during harvesting reduces residue density and volume which allows for quicker breakdown in the soil.
Also, it is important that the combine settings are optimized to reduce the amount of grain spread on to the field as well. The grain can germinate in the fall, spring or in future years and will use valuable nutrients and moisture that is allocated for the current crop.
Taking these steps towards a higher level of field hygiene, is an important foundation for the next crop.
Residue management – the right balance
The residue from previous crops is an important component of building and maintaining soil health. Crop residue contains valuable nutrients and carbon that breaks down to produce soil organic matter and stimulate microbial activity. The amount of work required to properly manage residue depends on the residue type itself.
Heavier amounts of residue from crops such as maize and cereals often require mechanical residue management while lighter residue crops such as soybeans may not require management at all. If management is indeed required, it is important to strike the right balance between reducing residue volume to ensure good seed to soil contact while also protecting the soil structure and soil life.
Tillage depth during field operations must be balanced between being set deep enough to produce effective chopping and mixing into the soil while being shallow enough to minimize the amount of moisture lost to the atmosphere.
An effective tillage operation in which residues are properly chopped and incorporated into the soil profile decreases the time it takes for soil microbes to break down the residue into valuable soil organic matter. Soil microbial activity takes place in the uppermost layers of the soil, where there is oxygen available. The deeper that residue is buried in the soil, the longer it takes to break down.
Additionally, incorporation of residue into the soil aids in the prevention of nutrient losses due to runoff, specifically phosphates. This, however, also requires balance as standing residue aids in the prevention of soi movement due to runoff and subsequent nutrient losses that take place.
The CrossCutter Disc is designed for ultra-shallow tillage in the 2-3cm layer to preserve soil moisture while producing effective residue management. If a deeper tillage operation is required, and in heavier soils at shallow depth, Väderstad’s conical discs found on the tillage equipment are an ideal option to initiate good residue chopping and mixing into the soil layer.
A head start on weed control
With herbicide resistance and restrictions on pesticides becoming more prevalent, mechanical weed control is becoming increasingly important.
Creating a stale seed bed is an important tool in ensuring a beneficial field hygiene, with a reduced weed pressure in the coming crop.
Väderstad’s disc cultivators produce a full cut-out of the soil across the width of the implement at a consistent depth to ensure all weeds are removed. Additionally, ultra-shallow tillage can aid in the germination of dormant seeds that are held in the seed bank which allows for future weed control by mechanical means or with herbicides.
Maximizing fall nutrient application
Fertiliser application in the fall can be used by farmers to reduce operations in the spring. In the case of manure and granular fertiliser, incorporation into the soil is an important practice to reduce losses into the atmosphere and into water runoff both in the spring and after rainfall.
Additionally, precise fertiliser application is required for proper establishment of winter crops in cool weather prior to freezing, especially nutrients key to root development such as phosphorus.
Preparation for a solid start
Successful crop establishment requires giving the seed the best conditions possible to germinate and emerge. The type of field work required prior to seeding or planting depends on soil conditions, amount of crop residue present and what kind of crop that is being planted.
As seed to soil contact is very important in the seed accessing nutrients and moisture, it is critical to ensure that the seed is placed into good soil tilth. In terms of field activities, this can range from intensive mechanical seed bed preparation in heavy soils with poor structure to minimal soil disturbance tillage in lighter, wellstructured soils, or no soil preparation at all if the right conditions are present.
When tillage is required, the goal is to produce the best soil tilth with as minimal moisture loss as possible.
