integrating cc in strip-till systems
TRANSCRIPT
Choosing & Implementing the Right Cover Crops for a Strip-Till System
Dr. Joel Gruver
Western Illinois University
August 6, 2015
Be sure to learn everything you can about CCs
Steve Groff’s farmalmost 20 year ago
Dr. Ray Weil
Ray McCormick
Jamie ScottSteve
Groff
Mike Shuter
Cameron Mills
Steve & Dennis Berger
Dave Brandt
Academia is my foundation but interacting w/ farmer
innovators has taught me the most about CC management
Tyler Vollmershausen
Dean Sponheim
Frank Moore
Charlie Hammer & Nancy Kavazanjian
Cade Bushnell
Clay Mitchell
Tomhave Family Todd Mooberry
Blake Vince
Huey MeierLoran
Steinlage
Recent Communication
Andy Thompson Jim Bassett
Strip-till collaborators
What is your context for
selecting CCs?
In other words, what
pieces make up
your puzzle?
Where are you located?
Do you farm HEL soils?
Do you farm poorly drained soils?
What is your standard crop rotation?
When do typically plant/harvest?
Do you have livestock?
Where are you located?
Do you farm HEL soils?
Do you farm poorly drained soils?
What is your standard crop rotation?
When do typically plant/harvest?
Do you have livestock?Which of t
hese are m
ost adjustable?
Managing your cash crop to cover crop effectively
NoTill Farmer Webinar – 4/7/15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFA6oXevOQk
What are your human resources?
McCracken, R.J. 1993. Evangelists, scholars,
historians, lab types, computer buffs, map makers and auger
pullers in the soil survey. Soil Horizons. 34:61–71.
Interesting discussion of the human resources needed to
create a good soil survey
Who are the people who grow the seed, sell the seed, custom plant the seed, share on-farm experiences w/
you, inspire you, caution you…?
These people are your CC human resources and they are a key part of YOUR CONTEXT for making sound
decisions about CCs!
Some people see opportunities in every problemothers see problems in every opportunity
~ 700 acres of continuous strip-till corn
After no-tilling for many years, Loran built his first strip-till rig in 2006,
using a modified 12-row Rawson zone-till bar.
After 2 years,he began adding capacity to apply fertilizer including an anhydrous shank
Currently runs a 12 row Krause Gladiator with a mounted Montag box
Dry blended fertilizer and NH3 are delivered into the row
Frequently evaluates new equipment setups and nutrient management practices
Loran Steinlage – West Union, IA
12-row Kuhn Krause Gladiator
with mounted Montag fertilizer
box
Tomhave Farms (Wayne, John and Austin)
Jacksonville, IL
~ 3000 acres mostly 50:50 corn:beans w/ some continuous corn and longer corn rotations
moldboard - > chisel plow -> ridge-till -> strip-till
“often first to try something new”
JD 2510 S strip-till barcustom built strip freshening system
Sometimes as many as 6 N applications:Fall anhydrous, 28% while freshening strips,
3-18-18 pop-up, 1-2 sidedress applications of 28%, late N
Tomhave Farms
~1800 acres, 50-50 corn soybean rotation currently (7 years of all continuous corn in recent past)
Started strip-tilling in 2001, motivated by a couple other farmers in the county who were already strip-tilling
Started with 350 acres, local coop ran their anhydrous barFollowing year he rented an anhydrous bar from the coop
First 4 years he strip-tilled without GPS guidanceHe started using RTK guidance in 2005
Uses 8-row Orthman 1 trip stripper with a Montag cartP+K (and sometimes S + pellet lime) are delivered into strips
1 blend for corn, 1 blend for soybeans (rates varied based on previous yield)
Todd & MacKenzie Mooberry Lowpoint, IL
Strip freshening system designed by
Todd Mooberry
Interseeding research in MN using Mooberry units
Meier Land and Cattle (Huey and Matt)
~ 570 acres of strip-till corn & ~1000 cattle in finishing buildings
All corn grain is sold.
Cattle are fed byproducts from food manufacturers, ethanol plant and corn stalks.
~6,000 gallons of manure are injected on every acre every year, supplying almost all of the
nutrients for the corn.
Dakota, IL
Blake Vince – Merlin, Ontario
1300 acres of corn, soybeans and winter wheat
Dad was a no-till pioneer, beginning in 1983
Blake began strip-tilling in 2006 and purchased a Soil Warrior in 2007
Now 100% continuous no-till
Heavy clay soils
Used this system for~ 5 years
Tomhave Farms
1200 acres of cereal rye drilled in 2014, 20+ acres/hr
20 – 30 lbs/a Mostly in September!
cereal rye @ 40 lbs/a, radish @ 2 lbs/a 40+ acres/hr
Aerial seeding of ARG for 5 yrs on Tomhave Farms
>300 acres in 2014
Uneven stands, inconsistent kill, higher seed cost
Probably will NOT continue with ARG
Todd Mooberry’s first attempt at cover crops was a blend of 60% ARG and 40% crimson clover (25 lb/a)
flown onto 600 acres of standing corn on 9/25/11
He harvested the next day and immediately went over all acres with a Great Plains Turbo-Till.
The ARG and crimson clover grew 3 to 4 inches tall before he strip-tilled on 11/10.
Todd was pleased with the results (including higher corn yields the next season) and has expanded his
use of CCs
Mooberry Farm – fall 2011
Much of the CC appeared to be buried immediately after strip-tilling but quickly reemerged
Tomhave Farm
Frank Moore in Cresco, IA finds that ARG works well for him. He gets about 4” of top growth and 30” of roots to help hold soil in place. Ideally, much of his ARG winterkills, saving him
the effort of having to kill it himself in the spring.
“Last year all my ARG, except for the end rows, winterkilled, which I loved because I didn’t have to kill it with an
herbicide,” Moore says. “I would’ve had to wait for the ARG to start growing again for it to even absorb the herbicide —
that would have pushed me into a situation where I’d have to plant later and lose yield potential.”
He doesn’t expect that ARG will always winterkill completely, and he’s still on the lookout for a variety that will, while still
providing the same benefits.
From Strip-Till Farmer magazine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8HL5Nfhw1o
Faster and truck has a scale allowing calibration
As applied map
Ask aerial applicators how they calibrate
Looks better from the road
but erosion rills developed during a
heavy rain
No visible erosion
1.5 more hrs of day light12 degrees warmer
DRILLED AERIAL SEEDED when
Good stand and good kill of ARG
Cameron Mill’s FarmWalton, IN
Looks intimidating
Rapid residue decomposition
(< pH 5.5)
ARGFrom Cameron Mills’ webinar
3+” new growth
Waiting for canopy to begin opening may be important in northern locations with higher corn populations
Interseeding at V5
Interseeding Rig, Meier Farm – Stephenson Cty, IL
Photo taken by Huey Meier on 8/3
Loran interseeded ALL of his corn this season using a rig
he built last winter
Small seeds & low seeding rates
ARG, rapeseed, clovers
Seeding while harvesting on Ray McCormick’s Farm (Vincennes, IN)
Precision planting
Best seeding technology available!!!
D
Using technology to improve CC
seeding on Shuter Farm
New diffuser required to spread cover crop seed
wider
Dean Sponheim – Osage, IA
has had good success aerial seeding CCs into STRIP INTERCROPPED fields
Surest way to make cover crops pay!
http://www.mccc.msu.edu/
Midwest Cover Crop
Decision Tool
+30
http://www.greencoverseed.com/
From http://soilwarrior.com/
Will this someday be your strip-till
system?