Last evening I watch 2 hours of PBS titled "IN DEFENSE OF FOOD", and another hour on a related subject "FAT vs SUGAR". Fascinating. There were so many parallels to what I have been viewing on soil health, how complex the system, and how little we know. Bottom line: --eating less is the only real way to lose weight. The food processing, the marketing methods, and our culture encourage eating in excess. Neither a high fat or a high sugar diet by itself was a problem for weight gain; however, the combination of fat and sugar hits all the pleasure receptors in the brain making it nearly irresistible to control over eating. Microbes in our digestive system react to the food they are exposed to. In an unhealthy diet, certain microbes dominate, unbalancing the digestive system, and this leads to health issues and shortened life span. What is a healthy diet? What I got out of the information was: Increase plant foods, decrease processed foods, decrease meats, eat everything in moderation. Be aware of the fat/sugar relationship in the processed foods. If you look at the labels on food items, nearly all processed food has fat, --and added sugar.
I saw many parallels to what I have been learning about soil health. Primarily, an unbalance in the soil microbial community creates weed and disease issues above the levels found in a soil with a balance in the microbiological community. Like our human health, we have the ability to effect soil health. All we need is the knowledge, and the willingness to make appropriate decisions.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Email Updates
In reviewing the blog capabilities I noticed that there was an email option, which I have activated. My understanding is that if a viewer wishes to keep current with the blog, they can provide their email address and when there is a change, notification is given. I am about to find out if this works.
I also upgraded the blog by adding the "labels" section. This allows an individual to go directly to those posts with that "label". This section also provides the number of posts with that label attached. There are more labels than those listed, but these are the ones of most interest.
I also upgraded the blog by adding the "labels" section. This allows an individual to go directly to those posts with that "label". This section also provides the number of posts with that label attached. There are more labels than those listed, but these are the ones of most interest.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
TIMING NITROGEN APPLICATION
I recently participated in discussions centering around fertilizer and timing of application. Here are a few points that peak my interest.
1--A recent study I came across stated that our crops, on average, only utilizes 40% of the applied nitrogen. Question? --what happened to the remaining 60%??? I don't find any excess N in my soil tests.
2--Brassica tap roots are severely damaged when deep banding nitrogen with the seed. Roots will grow around the banded N and not through. The remedy is to apply N prior to seeding, or after the plant is established.
3--A farm operation I am familiar with uses a CrossSlot drill, and Uran for an N source. The soil structure of this operation is quite good with high infiltration capability. They indicate their conventional tilling neighbors are out yielding their winter wheat. I suspect that the neighbors use NH3 as a N source. They further state that they, on the other hand, dramatically out yield their conventional tilling neighbors growing spring crops. Why? --it's speculation on my part; however, I think that possibly the uran is working against them with their winter wheat, and working for them with their spring crops. Reasoning: --These operations are in an annual crop area and they are seeding fall wheat and banding their N into dry ground following the harvest of a spring crop. When the rains come, the nitrate portion of uran is being driven below the roots and the wheat plant is catching what it can from the ammonia form which is not transported in the soil solution. In effect the winter wheat is shorted nitrogen in the early development stage. In the spring, with a large portion of the useable soil profile filled from winter moisture, the nitrate from the uran is not moving through the soil profile as fast, or as far, allowing the plant access to the full amount of applied N.
A potential solution then for the operation mentioned above, may be to fall apply nitrogen in the ammonia form(NH3, Urea, or NH4), and apply Uran(Solution 32) to spring crops with it's half nitrate half ammonia form.
4-- Expect significant loss of N from any nitrogen source if it is surface applied in our environment. If you have to surface apply I would do it in the rain or as close to a rain as possible.
5-- For adding additional nitrogen to a crop that is established I am thinking that the Spoke Wheel Applicator would be something to look into. It's been around for about 20 years, and it places liquid fertilizer up to 4" below the soil surface. The videos I have seen places it in ULD category.
1--A recent study I came across stated that our crops, on average, only utilizes 40% of the applied nitrogen. Question? --what happened to the remaining 60%??? I don't find any excess N in my soil tests.
2--Brassica tap roots are severely damaged when deep banding nitrogen with the seed. Roots will grow around the banded N and not through. The remedy is to apply N prior to seeding, or after the plant is established.
3--A farm operation I am familiar with uses a CrossSlot drill, and Uran for an N source. The soil structure of this operation is quite good with high infiltration capability. They indicate their conventional tilling neighbors are out yielding their winter wheat. I suspect that the neighbors use NH3 as a N source. They further state that they, on the other hand, dramatically out yield their conventional tilling neighbors growing spring crops. Why? --it's speculation on my part; however, I think that possibly the uran is working against them with their winter wheat, and working for them with their spring crops. Reasoning: --These operations are in an annual crop area and they are seeding fall wheat and banding their N into dry ground following the harvest of a spring crop. When the rains come, the nitrate portion of uran is being driven below the roots and the wheat plant is catching what it can from the ammonia form which is not transported in the soil solution. In effect the winter wheat is shorted nitrogen in the early development stage. In the spring, with a large portion of the useable soil profile filled from winter moisture, the nitrate from the uran is not moving through the soil profile as fast, or as far, allowing the plant access to the full amount of applied N.
A potential solution then for the operation mentioned above, may be to fall apply nitrogen in the ammonia form(NH3, Urea, or NH4), and apply Uran(Solution 32) to spring crops with it's half nitrate half ammonia form.
4-- Expect significant loss of N from any nitrogen source if it is surface applied in our environment. If you have to surface apply I would do it in the rain or as close to a rain as possible.
5-- For adding additional nitrogen to a crop that is established I am thinking that the Spoke Wheel Applicator would be something to look into. It's been around for about 20 years, and it places liquid fertilizer up to 4" below the soil surface. The videos I have seen places it in ULD category.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
SOIL HEALTH w Cover Crops
In preparation of a presentation I am to give on the Stripper Header and our ULD farming system, I got sucked into ranging my thoughts to the future. Even though we have only been in the ULD system for a short period of time, through my reading, it is becoming obvious that ULD alone will not get us to the end of the rainbow; however, it is a great springboard to launch other healthy soil practices. For over a year I have been thinking about how we might introduce Cover Crops into our system without jeopardizing the operation. It doesn't take much research to gain an understanding of their value, --but how to introduce them successfully is another matter.
In the past month I have been looking at a lot of soil health videos from experienced individuals. I am including five in this post that I have found compelling.
The first I am recommending for viewing is one by Gabe Brown, a farmer near Bismark, ND. He is in a 15" rainfall area, with a variety of soil types on 2000 acres of cropland. He also has 3000 acres of pastureland. Gabe has several videos, from different presentations, on Utube. This, to me, is one of his most informative. The total time of the presentation is 58:52, and titled: Holistic Regeneration of Our Lands. < Holistic Regeneration of Our Lands >
The second presentation is by Jill Clapperton, a soil scientist with many years of University and private work experience in the field of soil biology. This video is titled: Soil Health Principles, and runs 28:22. < Soil Health Principles >
The third presentation is by NRCS crop specialist, Ray Archuleta. He is the spokesperson for several NRCS initiated educational videos "Secrets of the Soil", and also gives presentations to groups. This video is an NRCS training session in Wisconsin, that runs 2:36:18. It's lengthy, but gives a lot of good information. < Soil Health Training >
The fourth presentation is by NRCS/ARS scientist, Rick Haney. He developed the "Solvita" soil health test (Haney Test) that uses soil respiration instead of soil chemistry to determine nutrient needs of a crop, and the condition of the soil biology. This video is titled: Soil Health Principles, and runs 24:55.
< Soil Health and - Solvate >
The fifth presentation is by Dr. Kristine Nicoles of the Rodale Institute. She gives a great presentation on the interaction within the soil biology and their relation to plant growth in regenerative organic systems. 1:04:48
< Dr. Kristine Nichols>
These videos each support one other, and individually add new insights to the whole question of soil health and the importance of building up our soils. Swings, extreme by past experience, between wet and dry conditions associated with climate change will be endured more easily by those who have good soil structure, a high level of biological activity, and thick layer of surface litter.
In the past month I have been looking at a lot of soil health videos from experienced individuals. I am including five in this post that I have found compelling.
The first I am recommending for viewing is one by Gabe Brown, a farmer near Bismark, ND. He is in a 15" rainfall area, with a variety of soil types on 2000 acres of cropland. He also has 3000 acres of pastureland. Gabe has several videos, from different presentations, on Utube. This, to me, is one of his most informative. The total time of the presentation is 58:52, and titled: Holistic Regeneration of Our Lands. < Holistic Regeneration of Our Lands >
The second presentation is by Jill Clapperton, a soil scientist with many years of University and private work experience in the field of soil biology. This video is titled: Soil Health Principles, and runs 28:22. < Soil Health Principles >
The third presentation is by NRCS crop specialist, Ray Archuleta. He is the spokesperson for several NRCS initiated educational videos "Secrets of the Soil", and also gives presentations to groups. This video is an NRCS training session in Wisconsin, that runs 2:36:18. It's lengthy, but gives a lot of good information. < Soil Health Training >
The fourth presentation is by NRCS/ARS scientist, Rick Haney. He developed the "Solvita" soil health test (Haney Test) that uses soil respiration instead of soil chemistry to determine nutrient needs of a crop, and the condition of the soil biology. This video is titled: Soil Health Principles, and runs 24:55.
< Soil Health and - Solvate >
The fifth presentation is by Dr. Kristine Nicoles of the Rodale Institute. She gives a great presentation on the interaction within the soil biology and their relation to plant growth in regenerative organic systems. 1:04:48
< Dr. Kristine Nichols>
These videos each support one other, and individually add new insights to the whole question of soil health and the importance of building up our soils. Swings, extreme by past experience, between wet and dry conditions associated with climate change will be endured more easily by those who have good soil structure, a high level of biological activity, and thick layer of surface litter.
GMO's -- safe ( ?- ! )
This morning KREM 2 with Charlie Rose and crew had a segment that featured an interview with Monsanto's CEO. He did a horrible job. No useful information was expressed. Answers to questions were shunted to platitudes like GMO's are safe, Roundup has been studied for 40 years, and he eats GMO foods without concern. What a wasted opportunity.
His appearance did bring back to mind a statement I heard about a year ago from an industry spokesman, that FDA needed to study the safety of the various process' used in GMO developments, and not the individual cultivar developed from a specific process. It would save a lot of time and money, and give the public some assurance that questions about public health and environmental issues are being addressed. I thought that it was a good statement and a direction that needed to be taken, and still do. This irritating interview did put me back on the web search for information about GMO's. There are four or five basic process' used for GMO's. I remember that one process that encompassed crossing genes of different species needed to be looked at closely. I haven't come up with the right key phrase yet to get those names.
It is apparent to me that GMO, GE, and GM labels are used interchangeably, depending on whose talking and which area of the world the information is coming from.
I did find a website that gives an excellent discussion on the many different aspects surrounding GMO's. It's sectioned for easy access of specific subjects. It's the website for JRSM (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine). It's a long journal entry but packed with information that is not too technical. < Journal of the Royal Society of medicine >
His appearance did bring back to mind a statement I heard about a year ago from an industry spokesman, that FDA needed to study the safety of the various process' used in GMO developments, and not the individual cultivar developed from a specific process. It would save a lot of time and money, and give the public some assurance that questions about public health and environmental issues are being addressed. I thought that it was a good statement and a direction that needed to be taken, and still do. This irritating interview did put me back on the web search for information about GMO's. There are four or five basic process' used for GMO's. I remember that one process that encompassed crossing genes of different species needed to be looked at closely. I haven't come up with the right key phrase yet to get those names.
It is apparent to me that GMO, GE, and GM labels are used interchangeably, depending on whose talking and which area of the world the information is coming from.
I did find a website that gives an excellent discussion on the many different aspects surrounding GMO's. It's sectioned for easy access of specific subjects. It's the website for JRSM (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine). It's a long journal entry but packed with information that is not too technical. < Journal of the Royal Society of medicine >
Thursday, November 12, 2015
No-Till Farmer Magazine
This past year, 2015, I had the opportunity to contribute my thoughts to two subjects that I have some passion for. The first, in the August edition, 2015, (volume 44, No. 8) I responded to the question of how do you handle crop residue. These thoughts and a pic show up on page 90 in the section titled "No-Tillers Tackle Residue Issue From Every Angle", along with the thoughts of twenty other people.
The second opportunity came as a feature item in the November edition, 2015, (volume 44, No.11), titled "Overcoming No-Till Stumbling Blocks", starting on page 22. This article was written from a telephone interview with Martha Mintz along with some material I submitted to her. Martha is listed as a Contributing Editor and regularly writes articles under the logo " What I've Learned From No-Tilling...". It came out pretty good if I do say so myself. < Eriksen interview >
While looking up what Martha Mintz contributed over the years to No-Till Farmer, I came across an article where she interviewed Guy Swanson for a piece titled "Bringing No-Till To The Palouse". Mort Swanson, Guy's father, is the name that everyone in the Palouse remembers as THE inventor-early practitioner of No-Till. This article was posted in the November edition, 201, < Bringing no-till to the Palouse >. It's a great read for someone interested in the background of no-till in the Palouse. Mort is no longer with us but Guy is hail & hearty and manufacturing/selling EXACTRIX systems for applying liquid anhydrous ammonia fertilizer.
No-Till Farmer has been around since 1972. I was a subscriber for a while in it's early days, but found that it was a midwest and east magazine that I couldn't relate too. Today, No-Till Farmer is still primarily an east of the Rocky Mountains publication but I am finding that even though we are in two different climatic zones, Continental vs our Mediterranean classification, the same problems exist. Practices and Research done east of the "divide" has concepts that apply here,--our task is to adapt that knowledge base to our climate limitations and strengths. With our Stripper Head, self propelled sprayer, and CrossSlot drill, we have all the practices available for controlling soil erosion; however, we still have water loss. Soil health has improved, and it will continue to improve to some extent; however, that improvement will be limited until we get more plant diversity, and remove fallow. Cover Crops and Interseeding crops potentially hold the answer to these questions. The trick is, how to apply.
The Koppen Climate classification model designating the Pacific Northwest as mostly Mediterranean does not fit very well. We don't fit the Continental or the Coastal either. Our climate diversity is likely to be a topic of discussion for a long time as to what classification we really fit.
The second opportunity came as a feature item in the November edition, 2015, (volume 44, No.11), titled "Overcoming No-Till Stumbling Blocks", starting on page 22. This article was written from a telephone interview with Martha Mintz along with some material I submitted to her. Martha is listed as a Contributing Editor and regularly writes articles under the logo " What I've Learned From No-Tilling...". It came out pretty good if I do say so myself. < Eriksen interview >
While looking up what Martha Mintz contributed over the years to No-Till Farmer, I came across an article where she interviewed Guy Swanson for a piece titled "Bringing No-Till To The Palouse". Mort Swanson, Guy's father, is the name that everyone in the Palouse remembers as THE inventor-early practitioner of No-Till. This article was posted in the November edition, 201, < Bringing no-till to the Palouse >. It's a great read for someone interested in the background of no-till in the Palouse. Mort is no longer with us but Guy is hail & hearty and manufacturing/selling EXACTRIX systems for applying liquid anhydrous ammonia fertilizer.
No-Till Farmer has been around since 1972. I was a subscriber for a while in it's early days, but found that it was a midwest and east magazine that I couldn't relate too. Today, No-Till Farmer is still primarily an east of the Rocky Mountains publication but I am finding that even though we are in two different climatic zones, Continental vs our Mediterranean classification, the same problems exist. Practices and Research done east of the "divide" has concepts that apply here,--our task is to adapt that knowledge base to our climate limitations and strengths. With our Stripper Head, self propelled sprayer, and CrossSlot drill, we have all the practices available for controlling soil erosion; however, we still have water loss. Soil health has improved, and it will continue to improve to some extent; however, that improvement will be limited until we get more plant diversity, and remove fallow. Cover Crops and Interseeding crops potentially hold the answer to these questions. The trick is, how to apply.
The Koppen Climate classification model designating the Pacific Northwest as mostly Mediterranean does not fit very well. We don't fit the Continental or the Coastal either. Our climate diversity is likely to be a topic of discussion for a long time as to what classification we really fit.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Soil Temperatures with Direct Seed
General consensus by farmers in our area is that tillage warms up the ground early in the spring. In the late 90's early spring soil temperatures were taken across the Palouse, and the result was reported to be only 1-2 degrees.
The October 2015 edition of NO-TILL FARMER (p.2) had a short article on temperature comparisons. A summary of this particular article stated that shortly after planting the soil temperatures moved quickly to the same level whether tilled or untilled. Twelve hours after seeding there was a 5 degree difference. Twenty four hours after seeding there was no difference.
There was no mention whether the no-till was low or high disturbance.
This is potentially good news and we will try and verify using our ultra low disturbance system this coming spring. We have conventional tillage all around us for a good comparison. We do know that surface cover and standing stubble moderates soil temperatures, --both winter cold and summer heat.
The October 2015 edition of NO-TILL FARMER (p.2) had a short article on temperature comparisons. A summary of this particular article stated that shortly after planting the soil temperatures moved quickly to the same level whether tilled or untilled. Twelve hours after seeding there was a 5 degree difference. Twenty four hours after seeding there was no difference.
There was no mention whether the no-till was low or high disturbance.
This is potentially good news and we will try and verify using our ultra low disturbance system this coming spring. We have conventional tillage all around us for a good comparison. We do know that surface cover and standing stubble moderates soil temperatures, --both winter cold and summer heat.
Friday, October 16, 2015
GLYPHOSATE - A Recent Study
Last year we were contacted to participate in a glyphosate study. Interest in us came from the knowledge that we have land that has had many gallons per acre (≈20+)applied over the last 30 years, and also land that has never had glyphosate applied. The researchers were looking for changes in the soil that could be attributed to Glyphosate. There are six locations with different operators in the project that extends across the greater Palouse area. This year they are expanding the research project to look more in-depth at each of the microbiological communities.
To date, the short simple answer is that they have found no evidence that glyphosate is impacting our soils beyond normal variations found in soil types, crop cultivars, and location.
In our discussion it was brought out that the glyphosate molecule is of a fairly simple structure that has P, S, and C as part of it's makeup. With these elements, arranged as they are, this molecule should be a good food source for the soil microbiological community. Part of the study is to identify which communities use glyphosate as a food source. One characteristic of glyphosate is that it has an affinity for mineral soil, and is held very tightly. This does have an impact on what microbes use this product as food.
Several times I have done an internet search on glyphosate. It's amazing how many hits are out there, and the vast number are negative on glyphosate and Monsanto. Even though I know that most of these "THE TRUTH ABOUT GLYPHOSATE", and the like, articles, are garbage, --occasionally there will be a statement that gives me pause. In these situations, I go back to trusted, peer reviewed articles for the answer, --and sometimes, there is no answer. What I have noticed, is that Monsanto's detractors work on emotion, with few facts to support their claims. They will make unsupported statements like, --40 researchers from around the world support the truth that glyphosate creates "Super Weeds". Statements like this is not a a total lie. A grain of truth normally can be found in these proclamations, but they are always, "over the top", miss leading. Any one in the business of production agriculture knows that every class of chemical we use is becoming less effective in killing unwanted plant cultivars, --including glyphosate (Roundup). This gives rise to a reference of "Super Weed". We have run out of known "modes" of action on which to attack a plant cultivar, so now we are using mixes of chemicals that combine different modes of action. Rarely is a single chemistry recommended to assure a clean crop.
One disturbing question (for me) that I am now working on finding the answer too is: does multiple applications of Roundup (on Rt tolerant crops, GMO's) build up in the food supply (seed, forage)? The followup question is: if so, is that a problem for human or animal health? I think the answer to the first is NO, if used according to the label! --which, sort of says that it could if the label is not followed, (which I am sure occurs). I'm unsure on the second question. Early research said no, but I'm not sure what more recent "peer reviewed" research says. There is plenty of junk science that will say that Roundup causes grotesque cancerous warts, and is the root of every imaginable disease known to mankind.
Groups like Earth First and EWG(Environmental Working Group) have as much credibility with me as televangelist's do. They both live through their greed, and peoples fears they skillfully nurture, and/or create!
To date, the short simple answer is that they have found no evidence that glyphosate is impacting our soils beyond normal variations found in soil types, crop cultivars, and location.
In our discussion it was brought out that the glyphosate molecule is of a fairly simple structure that has P, S, and C as part of it's makeup. With these elements, arranged as they are, this molecule should be a good food source for the soil microbiological community. Part of the study is to identify which communities use glyphosate as a food source. One characteristic of glyphosate is that it has an affinity for mineral soil, and is held very tightly. This does have an impact on what microbes use this product as food.
Several times I have done an internet search on glyphosate. It's amazing how many hits are out there, and the vast number are negative on glyphosate and Monsanto. Even though I know that most of these "THE TRUTH ABOUT GLYPHOSATE", and the like, articles, are garbage, --occasionally there will be a statement that gives me pause. In these situations, I go back to trusted, peer reviewed articles for the answer, --and sometimes, there is no answer. What I have noticed, is that Monsanto's detractors work on emotion, with few facts to support their claims. They will make unsupported statements like, --40 researchers from around the world support the truth that glyphosate creates "Super Weeds". Statements like this is not a a total lie. A grain of truth normally can be found in these proclamations, but they are always, "over the top", miss leading. Any one in the business of production agriculture knows that every class of chemical we use is becoming less effective in killing unwanted plant cultivars, --including glyphosate (Roundup). This gives rise to a reference of "Super Weed". We have run out of known "modes" of action on which to attack a plant cultivar, so now we are using mixes of chemicals that combine different modes of action. Rarely is a single chemistry recommended to assure a clean crop.
One disturbing question (for me) that I am now working on finding the answer too is: does multiple applications of Roundup (on Rt tolerant crops, GMO's) build up in the food supply (seed, forage)? The followup question is: if so, is that a problem for human or animal health? I think the answer to the first is NO, if used according to the label! --which, sort of says that it could if the label is not followed, (which I am sure occurs). I'm unsure on the second question. Early research said no, but I'm not sure what more recent "peer reviewed" research says. There is plenty of junk science that will say that Roundup causes grotesque cancerous warts, and is the root of every imaginable disease known to mankind.
Groups like Earth First and EWG(Environmental Working Group) have as much credibility with me as televangelist's do. They both live through their greed, and peoples fears they skillfully nurture, and/or create!
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Cover Crop PAGE
A while back I noticed that there was significant interest in the Cover Crop Page, and I had nothing except a statement for future development. I decided to remove the PAGE until I have something to say that is a positive direction, --which may be years.
---On further reflection, I've decided to re-post the Cover Crop PAGE, using a different approach. I will, as time allows, start posting my thoughts on potential ways to introduce interseeding, and cover crops, and solicit feedback and others ideas on how this can be accomplished. The whole subject is so foreign to us that, where to start is a big decision in it self.
---I know that most farmers in the area are of the opinion that, IT CANT BE DONE!
CAN'T, never did anything! That leaves the few with a vision, to figure out how to get it done.
---SO! we'll see how it goes. My audience is few, but I hope some have an idea or two, --or more!
---On further reflection, I've decided to re-post the Cover Crop PAGE, using a different approach. I will, as time allows, start posting my thoughts on potential ways to introduce interseeding, and cover crops, and solicit feedback and others ideas on how this can be accomplished. The whole subject is so foreign to us that, where to start is a big decision in it self.
---I know that most farmers in the area are of the opinion that, IT CANT BE DONE!
CAN'T, never did anything! That leaves the few with a vision, to figure out how to get it done.
---SO! we'll see how it goes. My audience is few, but I hope some have an idea or two, --or more!
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Cover Crop Summary -- 2015
Review the Aug. 5/15 post, titled "Cover Crop"for details of the seeded cover crop.
What did we learn. First, with only one year experience nothing can be said with any certainty.
---Our attempt to include a legume for N was, in my mind, a failure. Neither the peas, vetch, or clover grew to the extent that N would be increased for the following crop. The peas were small, podded quickly, developed seed before any of the other cover crop cultivars were ready to make their contribution, thus using all the N they produced. The vetch and clover are slow growing and didn't develop any significant biomass, and this would limit their production of N.
---The brassica's (mustard, radishes, cabbage did well. Two varieties, Annaconda and Nemaflex, bolted quickly and seeded out. They did develop good tubers. The third variety, Graza, stayed green all season without bolting and developed good tubers. The Graza grew close to the ground, where the other two grew more vertical. The mustard did OK, but didn't make any big statement for cover. The cabbage grew good leaf cover.
---The grains (winter triticale, millet) were a waste, and may be a problem. The millet cooked out quick, and only in the dips did it have enough moisture to make a head. The winter triticale may become a problem in the fall wheat that was seeded. We didn't see any cultivars growing, so, did it not germinate? We'll see next June.
---The cover crop took 3" of our profile moisture. What will that mean for 2016 winter wheat? Skeptics are sure they know! I'm not so sure. Will the boring of the brassica's allow for better water infiltration with frozen ground this winter? Those tubers, once they die, shrink rather quickly, leaving a big hole that will probably extend below the frost line. My hope is that we will lose no water from runoff as we did in Feb. of 2014. We have seeded the winter wheat, but it won't grow until we get more moisture this fall or winter. We are getting some of our chem fallow emerged next to the cover crop, but I think we will still be able to make a reasonable guess of the yield hit between the two areas next July. I can see these hole drillers need to be used timely, and with purpose, because of their ability to move water both directions in the soil profile.
---The experience showed that cover crop cultivars need to be tailored for the following cash crop, and timing of seeding tailored to give the desired results (this is as advertised). Two examples: One, -don't seed small grain cultivars in a cover mix in front of a cash grain crop. With small grains being our bread and butter, we don't need this cultivar for crop diversity, and it is not needed to scavenge N or P for water quality as they do in the midwest or east. Second, -vetches need to be seeded in late summer or early fall to establish themselves for early spring growth, to give desired results. How do we make this work?? This is the fourth time I have attempted growing N, and the results are not impressive. We'll try again next year. I am a long way from exhausting the potential methods.
---We are thinking of resurrecting our 1980 Crustbuster Soybean Drill with it's leading edge double disc openers to inter-seed covers with the cash crop, and possibly seed our cover crop areas. It's light, can be pulled fast, and will place seed shallow. It will however degrade our residue mat. My thought is too seed a light rate of (either/and/or) vetch, clover, Graza radish to grow with our spring small grain cash crops. The vetch, and clover are slow developing, making them non competitive with the cash crop. The Graza will potentially compete for sunlight so needs to be sparse. My hope would be that it grows fast enough to grow a long slender tuber before we hit it with our broadleaf chemical application in the cash crop. I think the clover will survive. I'm not sure about the vetch. If some of these cultivars do survive, it will leave a live root system in the ground to feed the biological herd and help soil quality after the cash crop matures. We aren't going to bet the farm on this, so it will only be a few acres in these trials.
What did we learn. First, with only one year experience nothing can be said with any certainty.
---Our attempt to include a legume for N was, in my mind, a failure. Neither the peas, vetch, or clover grew to the extent that N would be increased for the following crop. The peas were small, podded quickly, developed seed before any of the other cover crop cultivars were ready to make their contribution, thus using all the N they produced. The vetch and clover are slow growing and didn't develop any significant biomass, and this would limit their production of N.
---The brassica's (mustard, radishes, cabbage did well. Two varieties, Annaconda and Nemaflex, bolted quickly and seeded out. They did develop good tubers. The third variety, Graza, stayed green all season without bolting and developed good tubers. The Graza grew close to the ground, where the other two grew more vertical. The mustard did OK, but didn't make any big statement for cover. The cabbage grew good leaf cover.
---The grains (winter triticale, millet) were a waste, and may be a problem. The millet cooked out quick, and only in the dips did it have enough moisture to make a head. The winter triticale may become a problem in the fall wheat that was seeded. We didn't see any cultivars growing, so, did it not germinate? We'll see next June.
---The cover crop took 3" of our profile moisture. What will that mean for 2016 winter wheat? Skeptics are sure they know! I'm not so sure. Will the boring of the brassica's allow for better water infiltration with frozen ground this winter? Those tubers, once they die, shrink rather quickly, leaving a big hole that will probably extend below the frost line. My hope is that we will lose no water from runoff as we did in Feb. of 2014. We have seeded the winter wheat, but it won't grow until we get more moisture this fall or winter. We are getting some of our chem fallow emerged next to the cover crop, but I think we will still be able to make a reasonable guess of the yield hit between the two areas next July. I can see these hole drillers need to be used timely, and with purpose, because of their ability to move water both directions in the soil profile.
---The experience showed that cover crop cultivars need to be tailored for the following cash crop, and timing of seeding tailored to give the desired results (this is as advertised). Two examples: One, -don't seed small grain cultivars in a cover mix in front of a cash grain crop. With small grains being our bread and butter, we don't need this cultivar for crop diversity, and it is not needed to scavenge N or P for water quality as they do in the midwest or east. Second, -vetches need to be seeded in late summer or early fall to establish themselves for early spring growth, to give desired results. How do we make this work?? This is the fourth time I have attempted growing N, and the results are not impressive. We'll try again next year. I am a long way from exhausting the potential methods.
---We are thinking of resurrecting our 1980 Crustbuster Soybean Drill with it's leading edge double disc openers to inter-seed covers with the cash crop, and possibly seed our cover crop areas. It's light, can be pulled fast, and will place seed shallow. It will however degrade our residue mat. My thought is too seed a light rate of (either/and/or) vetch, clover, Graza radish to grow with our spring small grain cash crops. The vetch, and clover are slow developing, making them non competitive with the cash crop. The Graza will potentially compete for sunlight so needs to be sparse. My hope would be that it grows fast enough to grow a long slender tuber before we hit it with our broadleaf chemical application in the cash crop. I think the clover will survive. I'm not sure about the vetch. If some of these cultivars do survive, it will leave a live root system in the ground to feed the biological herd and help soil quality after the cash crop matures. We aren't going to bet the farm on this, so it will only be a few acres in these trials.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
DIRECT SEEDING WITH THE CROSS SLOT -- FALL 2015
The drill worked well. The ADF was flawless, and new blades kept the seed depth more uniform. The scrapers would probably hold seed in the slot even better if we could figure out how to keep them from plugging with heavy surface residue. It will be better yet when we get the tool bar leveling system mounted and debugged. Currently the rear toolbar openers tend to shallow up when going over a ridge.
However, for the second year we failed to get the field drilled timely to get 100% emergence.
2015 has been unusually hot with weeks instead of days in the high 90's and low 100's. There was no measurable rain from late May until September 5th when we received a half inch. The moisture met in our chem fallow ground. Because drill parts were unavailable we didn't get started drilling until the 18th, and the seed zone moisture left. I was very surprised. With all the residue cover we have on the field I never thought we would lose seed zone moisture that fast. The above average temperatures this fall had to be the reason.
Again, the lesson here with chem fallow is, --don't miss the seed zone moisture for fall seeded wheat. We likely will take a 15-20 bushel yield hit for missing that window.
See the post of 5/3/14: "New CrossSlot Drill", for a problem discovered and the resulting fix.
However, for the second year we failed to get the field drilled timely to get 100% emergence.
2015 has been unusually hot with weeks instead of days in the high 90's and low 100's. There was no measurable rain from late May until September 5th when we received a half inch. The moisture met in our chem fallow ground. Because drill parts were unavailable we didn't get started drilling until the 18th, and the seed zone moisture left. I was very surprised. With all the residue cover we have on the field I never thought we would lose seed zone moisture that fast. The above average temperatures this fall had to be the reason.
Again, the lesson here with chem fallow is, --don't miss the seed zone moisture for fall seeded wheat. We likely will take a 15-20 bushel yield hit for missing that window.
See the post of 5/3/14: "New CrossSlot Drill", for a problem discovered and the resulting fix.
Monday, September 21, 2015
2015 Harvest with Stripper Header -- Chickpeas
We left a lot of chickpea pods on the ground. Was this unique to the stripper header or was it the year? To get a comparison I visited two operations, one using a new MacDon 40' draper header with all the bells and whistles, and the other using an older 24' International auger header equipped with a pea bar. Both of those operations were complaining about the amount of chickpea pods that were left on the ground. To me, it appeared that those operations had similar losses, and they were less than our losses.
Things that were apparent:
-- After observing the two other operations that were in a higher rainfall, if we had not had the 28 degree night June 12th, I think we could have had a pretty decent crop. The frost devastated the low ground.
-- The 40' draper did an amazing job of getting close to the ground without picking up dirt. That big header was light on its feet, and the flex in the middle allowed it to follow the ground contours quite well. The ground was smooth and soft. The terrain was fairly consistent with few sharp slope transitions. The vines were tangled and some branching was on the ground.
-- The older 24' pea bar equipped auger header was on harder soil surface and still had difficulty with pushing dirt. It had no auto header control features. There were a lot of low pods on the vines. Many vines were not standing erect.
-- Our ground had more sharp slope transitions than the other two operations which makes for more challenge. Our ground also has a rougher surface. It has been 20+ years since we have leveled the surface with cultivation or even a harrow. Our stand population was a little less and the vines appeared to stand a little better than the other two operations, but there were many low hanging pods.
-- A 32 foot ridged stripper header is too long for this short statured crop in our hilly terrain.
-- Since pod drop was the main loss observed in all three operations, and all operations had some bare seed on the ground, I don't think the stripper head shelled and spit out seed any worse than the other two header types.
-- I don't think the stripper header processing is any harder on the chickpea seed than the other header types.
-- We were able to leave a lot of chickpea residue standing following harvest, and very little old residue was reprocessed. The other operations clipped the crop at ground level and processed all the residue, leaving a fast degradable, low carbon surface cover.
-- Our heavy residue may be a problem with other header types. A least, much more would be reprocessed. This in turn will degrade our surface cover.
-- I think a 20' Shelbourne stripper header will work just fine for this crop in our terrain, --and even better if you include the auto header control features.
Things that were apparent:
-- After observing the two other operations that were in a higher rainfall, if we had not had the 28 degree night June 12th, I think we could have had a pretty decent crop. The frost devastated the low ground.
-- The 40' draper did an amazing job of getting close to the ground without picking up dirt. That big header was light on its feet, and the flex in the middle allowed it to follow the ground contours quite well. The ground was smooth and soft. The terrain was fairly consistent with few sharp slope transitions. The vines were tangled and some branching was on the ground.
-- The older 24' pea bar equipped auger header was on harder soil surface and still had difficulty with pushing dirt. It had no auto header control features. There were a lot of low pods on the vines. Many vines were not standing erect.
-- Our ground had more sharp slope transitions than the other two operations which makes for more challenge. Our ground also has a rougher surface. It has been 20+ years since we have leveled the surface with cultivation or even a harrow. Our stand population was a little less and the vines appeared to stand a little better than the other two operations, but there were many low hanging pods.
-- A 32 foot ridged stripper header is too long for this short statured crop in our hilly terrain.
-- Since pod drop was the main loss observed in all three operations, and all operations had some bare seed on the ground, I don't think the stripper head shelled and spit out seed any worse than the other two header types.
-- I don't think the stripper header processing is any harder on the chickpea seed than the other header types.
-- We were able to leave a lot of chickpea residue standing following harvest, and very little old residue was reprocessed. The other operations clipped the crop at ground level and processed all the residue, leaving a fast degradable, low carbon surface cover.
-- Our heavy residue may be a problem with other header types. A least, much more would be reprocessed. This in turn will degrade our surface cover.
-- I think a 20' Shelbourne stripper header will work just fine for this crop in our terrain, --and even better if you include the auto header control features.
The weeds we encountered were nearly all Russian Thistle. They are a problem when large and green; however, if they are dried down, they were not any real issue. They do slow up your ground speed.
Friday, August 28, 2015
2015 Harvest with Stripper Header -- Dry Peas
We have finished harvesting our spring planted standup peas. The weather decimated the crop. We started out with a great plant population, but growth and seed development was stopped by frost and heat. Our yield was ≈200#/ac of poor quality (small and dimpled) peas.
The stripper header did fine. We missed a few low pods, and there was a little pod shatter where the 32' solid head didn't fit the terrain.
I think the split and skinned seed is manageable with the stripper head; however, a decent yielding crop is needed to evaluate this aspect of the harvest. We had more splits than I would normally want, but, was it from the pea condition or from rattling around a near empty combine impacting with metal parts. With two spinning rotors and so little cushioning material going into the combine, this may be challenging.
Such a short crop needed an auto trim for the speed we traveled. Kye doesn't think auto height control would have helped but feels we need to reduce the force of ground impacts. The pea harvest is much dirtier than the small grain harvest. Pods, leaves, and vines shatter into fine dust that envelops the machine. We chemically dried the crop so very little green material entered the machine (weeds or crop).
There is a lot of pea stubble left standing, making it look more like a grain field than a pea field.
Watch the crop, particularly the branchy china lettuce plant before and after the combine passes over the peas. (Sorry, the full screen web version of this video is poor.)
This area shows good growth of pea vine (a little over my knee), but few pods. A close look will show that there is standing winter wheat stubble that is helping support the pea vine. Where we have standing stubble the peas stand a little taller. Wheel tracks don't have much effect on the stubble support, but flattened areas such as truck loading spots and some corners with multiple turns are too wide, and vines sag. Supported vines appear to hold the bottom pods higher off the ground which is good for the stripper header.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
2015 Soil Moisture
[Update: Sept.5-6] --Received 0.5"of rain. First measurable moisture since May27th with 0.11".
August 25th: ---Since September of 2014, to date, we have received 13.2" of moisture. That is below normal, but not by much. The real story though starts in June of 2015. We haven't had more than a trace of moisture since May. Along with the lack of moisture, we have had an unusually hot summer beginning in June with many weeks, (not days as is usual), with temperatures hovering around 100-/+. We have also received significant wind lasting several days at a time this summer.
I have a test area in the field where we earlier held the drill demonstration in tall stubble. There are four sites close together. All these site have HOBO temperature sensors associated with them, but I won't pull them until we seed. The sites are as follows: a)--bare ground with a board pressed firmly to the ground, b)--tall stubble with light surface residue, c)--mowed stubble with heavy surface residue (1"+) with no dirt showing, d)--bare ground without being cultivated.
At this point in time, at all sites, we could reach moisture with the CrossSlot drill. The exposed bare ground was baked hard, but good moisture was only 1.5" down. The tall stubble with light surface residue was easy for the shovel to penetrate; however, the moisture was just as deep as the exposed bare ground, --it may arguably be better moisture. Nothing can match a thick layer of surface residue. When I scraped away the residue, good moisture was at the surface, and the shovel easily penetrated the ground.
August 25th: ---Since September of 2014, to date, we have received 13.2" of moisture. That is below normal, but not by much. The real story though starts in June of 2015. We haven't had more than a trace of moisture since May. Along with the lack of moisture, we have had an unusually hot summer beginning in June with many weeks, (not days as is usual), with temperatures hovering around 100-/+. We have also received significant wind lasting several days at a time this summer.
I have a test area in the field where we earlier held the drill demonstration in tall stubble. There are four sites close together. All these site have HOBO temperature sensors associated with them, but I won't pull them until we seed. The sites are as follows: a)--bare ground with a board pressed firmly to the ground, b)--tall stubble with light surface residue, c)--mowed stubble with heavy surface residue (1"+) with no dirt showing, d)--bare ground without being cultivated.
At this point in time, at all sites, we could reach moisture with the CrossSlot drill. The exposed bare ground was baked hard, but good moisture was only 1.5" down. The tall stubble with light surface residue was easy for the shovel to penetrate; however, the moisture was just as deep as the exposed bare ground, --it may arguably be better moisture. Nothing can match a thick layer of surface residue. When I scraped away the residue, good moisture was at the surface, and the shovel easily penetrated the ground.
The pic shows the value of litter on the surface. I wiped the litter to the side with my hand without taking soil. Moisture is right there at the surface.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Organic Matter (OM)
I just received a copy of the August/September edition of "Hay&Forage Grower" magazine. An article titled: Grazing boosts organic matter, written by Dennis Hanock of University of Georgia, had several things of interest to me. The background for this article is, row crop land having been converted to pasture-based dairy farms.
First interest, --is a short statement defining OM: --Scientifically speaking, soil OM is a collective term that refers to the amount of carbon-based material in the soil. In a sense, soil OM quantifies the living component of the soil (such as roots, fungi, bacteria, and earthworms). Too me, this is refreshing. Mostly what I find as a definition for OM is a piece of the "collective term".
Second, --is a short statement of why OM is important: --Soil organic matter acts as a sponge. It holds water, improves the soil's cation exchange capacity, allowing it to hold more nutrients, and provides a host of other advantages. This supports other source statements, but is a more compact statement.
Third, --is a statement that a preliminary report from local research is showing the primary source of OM buildup is from roots and root exudes, and not from litter left on the soil surface. This research is supporting findings of a consortium of American and European scientists in a recent review published in the journal Nature. I have been hearing and reading recently about the part litter plays in OM. It's different than what I believed in the past; however, the above definition of OM plays to this.
Fourth, --there is an indication that 3-4% OM in the top 4" is obtainable and gives dramatic results. Older pasture-based dairies indicate that OM stabilizes at the 3-4% level. Newer studies are looking into this.
These are the main points that I picked up on. The context of these points can be put better into perspective by accessing and reading the article. <hayandforage.com>
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
GMO's are safe !
This guy expresses my view on the subject. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM1x2wnhtz4 > Unfortunately, like most people expressing their opinions on GMO's (pro or con) he is long on generalities and short on supporting material. Most of the con's that I have looked into, make the mistake of using material that is not peer reviewed. To me, that is a red flag, giving question to it's credibility. Most of the GMO critics that I take the time to read or view reference work and statements of Dr. Don Huber of Purdue University. When put under the scientific microscope, his research and conclusions could not be replicated. Purdue and it's scientific community has distanced themselves from him.
I noticed a logo in the video -- "VOCATIV". <http://www.vocativ.com/> This turns out to be a media and technology company founded by Mati Kochavi. Vocativ uses proprietary data-mining technology(??) to explore the [deep web](??) in order to discover stories and generate original content. Interesting -- I'll keep track of them. They may be more credible than the run of the mill media we get most of our information from.
Another information source that piquet my interest is "Genetic Literacy Project".
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/mission/
I noticed a logo in the video -- "VOCATIV". <http://www.vocativ.com/> This turns out to be a media and technology company founded by Mati Kochavi. Vocativ uses proprietary data-mining technology(??) to explore the [deep web](??) in order to discover stories and generate original content. Interesting -- I'll keep track of them. They may be more credible than the run of the mill media we get most of our information from.
Another information source that piquet my interest is "Genetic Literacy Project".
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/mission/
Thursday, August 6, 2015
GMOs and Labeling
An interesting presentation by a Sociologist at Iowa State University on why people are caught up in the labeling issue. This video is 6m30s long. You have to listen close to the questions directed to Carmen Bain as they are a little hard to hear.
[Summary] -- Labeling is a "proxy" issue that encompasses many different issues in peoples minds about science and food safety.
click to view----> Carmen Bain on Labeling of GMO's
[Summary] -- Labeling is a "proxy" issue that encompasses many different issues in peoples minds about science and food safety.
click to view----> Carmen Bain on Labeling of GMO's
STRIPPER HEADER -- REACCH RESEARCH
Below is a YOUTUBE video "Lauren Port--Growing Tall Cereal Crops". The video is 13m,16s long and is part of REACCH. There are 15 videos in the series, all featuring different subjects.
(REACCH) -- REagional Approach to Climate CHange is a collaboration of three universities, --Washington State University, University of Idaho, Oregon State University, to study climate change and it's effect on agriculture in the grain producing areas of the PNW.
[Summary] -- Research shows that the tall stubble left by the stripper header reduces temperature, and air velocity across the soil surface.
click on ------> Stripper header research
(REACCH) -- REagional Approach to Climate CHange is a collaboration of three universities, --Washington State University, University of Idaho, Oregon State University, to study climate change and it's effect on agriculture in the grain producing areas of the PNW.
[Summary] -- Research shows that the tall stubble left by the stripper header reduces temperature, and air velocity across the soil surface.
click on ------> Stripper header research
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
COVER CROP
May 9th, we seeded our first cover crop mix on approximately 50 acres. It was a 10 cultivar mix of brassica's and legumes, with one grass (Graza, Anaconda, and Nemaflex radish, Ethiopian cabbage, Attack mustard, buckwheat, Crimson clover, Hairy vetch, Journey pea, and winter Triticale.
May 13th, we seeded a second cover crop mix on approximately 20 acres. It was a five cultivar mix of brassica's, legumes and grass (Graza radish, Ethiopian cabbage, Winfred mustard, Proso millet, journey peas.
Our drill seeds on 10" spacing using two ranks. The depth of the front rank was set for 1.5", and seeded the peas and Triticale. The back rank was set at 1" and seeded the small seed cultivars. Some acres of each mix was seeded on 10" spacing without the peas. Both mixes were seeded at 10#/ac and emerged well. We forgot to reset the front rank depth from 1.5" to 1"and that tiny seed still made a respectable showing.
The last real rain we received to date was 0.46" on May 12th. June 12th, we had 28 degree night. Our winter wheat across the road was damaged, but the cover crop seemed to have no damage. Temperatures have been abnormally high for late May, June and July, with weeks of temperatures in the high 90's and 100+. With all this adversity, this cover crop is doing amazingly well.
What we are trying to accomplish with cover crops is not yet well defined in my mind. Mining nutrients? Making N? Building OM? Modifying pH? Making Cover? All the above?
This pic shows the three radishes. All three types have grown tubers of about the same length. The Nemaflex and Anaconda appear to be more bulbous than the Graza (middle). The Nemaflex and Anaconda tend to grow more upright than the Graza.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Rhizoterra Field Tour -- 7/22/15
Recently I attended this field tour. Rhizoterra does full scale no tillage farm trials aimed at understanding the link between healthy soil, healthy plants and nutrient dense food. The trial site is ≈50 acres on the Fred Fleming farm north of Reardan, WA. on hywy 231. The principal researcher is Dr. Jill Clapperton who has a long career as a soil scientist, microbiologist and crop specialist. Rhizoterra has a lot going on with different rotations and cultivars, along with some soil amendments. The following struck my interest.
Canola: -- one canola cultivar particularly strikes my fancy,--Extend(sp)/Jensena?. (I'll get the name right later when it becomes a more viable option.) This cultivar is a canola/mustard combination that does well with warm temperatures. It holds flower up to 105 degrees. It matches yield with cooler temperatures, and yields upwards of 25% more in hot temperatures. It is very resistant to shatter. It bolts earlier than most. It doesn't branch out as much as other canola.
Compell, from Basin Organics, is proving to increase yields. This compost material is pelleted so that it can be mixed with grain or applied separately. It apparently can be liquified, and mixed with fertilizer.
AgZyme is another product that shows some promise as a yield enhancer.
Faba Beans hold Jill C.'s interest as an adaptable crop for our area. One caution she mentioned: don't raise another broadleaf crop immediately behind the Faba Bean crop. Broadleaf "weeds" will be problematic. Faba Beans appear to super charge the germination of broadleaf cultivars.
Dezi chickpeas is Jill C's preference over the Kabula for inclusion in a cover mix. They are very efficient P users. (I need more explanation on this) Currently, she stated, there is not a good inoculant for them.
Kenwa(sp) is another cultivar that Jill C. expresses interest in. It looks very much like lambsquarter. Looking down into the branch and/or flower base there is more of a purple color, and I think it aligns seed differently than lambsquarter.
Jill C. showed a new soil analyzing tool for the field. The Tracer, by Bruner, is a hand held photon gun that can be used to analyze soil elements. The device tends to show more of each element than laboratory tests. In the lab, the extraction process is difficult. She, in cooperation with others, is developing a calibration chart that will give meaning to the readings. The gun will give readings from soil cores, or small plastic bags of soil placed on a platform attached to the end of the gun. We all have small areas that do much better, or worse, than most of the field. This may be a tool that could track down the "why's'. This is a very expensive device, so the average operation will probably have to hire a service.
Solvita Soil Life Test Kit was demonstrated. This kit can be purchased through Woods End Research. This is a good test if you can wait 24 hrs for results. Instead of using disturbed soil, Jill C. placed the paddle in the soil near a crop row and placed the cup over the paddle to the recommended depth, marked on the cup. Mark the time on the cup for reading at a later time. Moist soil should be used for this test.
A canola crop will provide a burst of respiration by soil animals,--not soil microbes. This burst of respiration indicates activity of those soil animals that will break down all residue. (I need more information about this. --> this crop may make it more difficult to maintain surface residue cover.)
Canola: -- one canola cultivar particularly strikes my fancy,--Extend(sp)/Jensena?. (I'll get the name right later when it becomes a more viable option.) This cultivar is a canola/mustard combination that does well with warm temperatures. It holds flower up to 105 degrees. It matches yield with cooler temperatures, and yields upwards of 25% more in hot temperatures. It is very resistant to shatter. It bolts earlier than most. It doesn't branch out as much as other canola.
Compell, from Basin Organics, is proving to increase yields. This compost material is pelleted so that it can be mixed with grain or applied separately. It apparently can be liquified, and mixed with fertilizer.
AgZyme is another product that shows some promise as a yield enhancer.
Faba Beans hold Jill C.'s interest as an adaptable crop for our area. One caution she mentioned: don't raise another broadleaf crop immediately behind the Faba Bean crop. Broadleaf "weeds" will be problematic. Faba Beans appear to super charge the germination of broadleaf cultivars.
Dezi chickpeas is Jill C's preference over the Kabula for inclusion in a cover mix. They are very efficient P users. (I need more explanation on this) Currently, she stated, there is not a good inoculant for them.
Kenwa(sp) is another cultivar that Jill C. expresses interest in. It looks very much like lambsquarter. Looking down into the branch and/or flower base there is more of a purple color, and I think it aligns seed differently than lambsquarter.
Jill C. showed a new soil analyzing tool for the field. The Tracer, by Bruner, is a hand held photon gun that can be used to analyze soil elements. The device tends to show more of each element than laboratory tests. In the lab, the extraction process is difficult. She, in cooperation with others, is developing a calibration chart that will give meaning to the readings. The gun will give readings from soil cores, or small plastic bags of soil placed on a platform attached to the end of the gun. We all have small areas that do much better, or worse, than most of the field. This may be a tool that could track down the "why's'. This is a very expensive device, so the average operation will probably have to hire a service.
Solvita Soil Life Test Kit was demonstrated. This kit can be purchased through Woods End Research. This is a good test if you can wait 24 hrs for results. Instead of using disturbed soil, Jill C. placed the paddle in the soil near a crop row and placed the cup over the paddle to the recommended depth, marked on the cup. Mark the time on the cup for reading at a later time. Moist soil should be used for this test.
A canola crop will provide a burst of respiration by soil animals,--not soil microbes. This burst of respiration indicates activity of those soil animals that will break down all residue. (I need more information about this. --> this crop may make it more difficult to maintain surface residue cover.)
[pic above] These fields did not have a lot of residue, --somewhere around 40-50% by USDA standards would be my guess. Jill C. is standing is in an area where a combine stopped, leaving the ground covered with residue. You can visualize the fan shape of the chaff and straw spread from the green color. Jill C. commented,--"don't let anyone tell you that residue doesn't save moisture".
[pic above] Difficult to see because of the computer in front; however, Jill C. is demonstrating the Tracer, in a cradle with it's attached platform and a sandwich bag of soil on the platform.
This was a very interesting tour, and one I will want to follow in the years to come. Rhizoterra is adding to the data base on no tillage agriculture and crops to include in a rotation. My only disappointment was that I expected more evidence and information on cover cropping. That does not appear to be an emphasis at Rhizoterra.
Friday, July 24, 2015
2015 HARVEST WITH STRIPPER HEADER
[Update 8/2/15]-- Normally we don't have weed issues in our crops, but this year is an exception. Yesterday, we were part of a 16 combine crew that harvested a friends crop. The friend wanted to experience a stripper headed crop so we were assigned to cut the Louise spring wheat. The heat this year beat up his spring grains and left room for russian thistles to grow. The heat pinched the tips and the grain bin looked cobby, and where we had a lot of russian thistles, we added green material to the bin. Not a sample to be proud of. My son was asked whether the stripper head was better or worse than a standard head in cutting a crop infestation with thistle. His answer: -- we process much less of the thistle, leaving more in the field; however, what we do process, is the tender top branches, and a high percentage of this material ends up in the grain tank. Eight rows of fingers traveling between 400 and 800rpm, provide a lot of hits. The material tends to be too small to sieve off, and too heavy to blow out. This also is the tendency with immature grain. Only a fraction of immature heads are stripped; however, most of what is stripped ends up in the grain bin. Our pea and garbs have turned up weedy because of the June 12th frost and high temperatures. We will use chemistry to dry down the crop and weeds prior to harvesting with either the stripper head, or conventional head. With the material dry, none will end up in the bin. An advantage with using a stripper head in lightly infested fields is that most of the green plant will be left intact. The weeds will take in an application of herbicide soon following harvest.
July 18th was our startup of the 2015 harvest of winter wheat. I don't remember ever harvesting this early. Several operations around us started the 10th. Our normal startup is around August 1st.
The hot, dry weather in June and July has left the straw more brittle than usual. The stripper head is lodging a significant amount of stems as shown in the pic above. The pulling action of the rotor as it strips the head is bending and breaking some of the straw at a weak node near the base of the plant.. We haven't seen this before. Without the heads interacting and helping to hold the stand together, I think a good wind will knock down a lot of what is left standing. This stand will certainly collapse with snow, --if we get any this coming winter.
July 18th was our startup of the 2015 harvest of winter wheat. I don't remember ever harvesting this early. Several operations around us started the 10th. Our normal startup is around August 1st.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
CROP CONDITIONS - 2015
[Update: 7/24/15] -- I am surprised to see that the June 12th frost event (28 degrees) has hurt the winter wheat on the low ground. I hadn't expected damage since frost was past the bloom period. The winter wheat test wt. is reversed from normal years. 56#/bu in the low land which is where we have the best moisture, and 60.5#/bu on the hilltops where we have the least moisture. The 3 weeks of 100+ degree heat has left it's mark as well. The mid-November temperature drop/wind event, set the winter wheat up for significant yield loss when frost and heat is added to the mix.
[Update: 7/5/15] --All of the crops in the area are taking a beating from the late frost and heat. I'm hearing reports of combines in the fields around Spangle --Not Good! The winter wheat seems to holding up the best. There will be some shriveled kernels. Our peas are severely damaged. I would like to leave large areas unharvested to retain the residue; however, I'm sure the insurance company will require harvesting what crop may be out there. The jury is out yet on the billy beans, spring wheat, and spring barley, although there is little doubt that yields are being reduced daily. In the future we may want to push the envelope for early seeding if this heat is going to be the norm. Our ULD system and heavy residue mat is doing it's job in capturing and saving moisture, but may not be enough to withstand heat this early in the season with a normal seeding date. I'm observing crops shutting down prematurely.
We have been experiencing record and near record heat for the past week and can expect more in the week to come. All of our crops are showing the effects. Today we reached 107 at our recording station on the hill, and 111 in the shade of our deck. I expect we will be harvesting winter wheat by the 20th (maybe earlier) of July. Rarely do we start before July 29th. The June 12 frost damaged the spring wheat, spring peas and billy beans. With no significant rain since the 12th of May, this heat wave is taking it's toll on these crops, as well as our spring barley which did not have frost damage. The winter wheat appears OK, but I am hearing about grain shrivel.
Our crops were all seeded in April with the CrossSlot drill. We had excellent ground cover when seeded. Will the extra moisture saved through direct seeding into a heavy residue mulch help bring these crops to maturity in better condition than crops planted by a standard cultivation systems.
[Update: 7/5/15] --All of the crops in the area are taking a beating from the late frost and heat. I'm hearing reports of combines in the fields around Spangle --Not Good! The winter wheat seems to holding up the best. There will be some shriveled kernels. Our peas are severely damaged. I would like to leave large areas unharvested to retain the residue; however, I'm sure the insurance company will require harvesting what crop may be out there. The jury is out yet on the billy beans, spring wheat, and spring barley, although there is little doubt that yields are being reduced daily. In the future we may want to push the envelope for early seeding if this heat is going to be the norm. Our ULD system and heavy residue mat is doing it's job in capturing and saving moisture, but may not be enough to withstand heat this early in the season with a normal seeding date. I'm observing crops shutting down prematurely.
We have been experiencing record and near record heat for the past week and can expect more in the week to come. All of our crops are showing the effects. Today we reached 107 at our recording station on the hill, and 111 in the shade of our deck. I expect we will be harvesting winter wheat by the 20th (maybe earlier) of July. Rarely do we start before July 29th. The June 12 frost damaged the spring wheat, spring peas and billy beans. With no significant rain since the 12th of May, this heat wave is taking it's toll on these crops, as well as our spring barley which did not have frost damage. The winter wheat appears OK, but I am hearing about grain shrivel.
Our crops were all seeded in April with the CrossSlot drill. We had excellent ground cover when seeded. Will the extra moisture saved through direct seeding into a heavy residue mulch help bring these crops to maturity in better condition than crops planted by a standard cultivation systems.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
2015 SHELBOURNE STRIPPER HEADER - DRILL DEMONSTRATION
[Update: 7/2/15] Since the demonstration the weather has been hot and dry. Part of my interest in the demonstration was to see what happened to seed zone moisture. The "configuration" stated below has a broad meaning including opener type, closing disc's, packer wheels and their relationship to the opener. The plot started with excellent moisture and good ground cover. a)--Narrow hoe,--the configuration left an open seed trench that wicked off the moisture. b)--Wide hoe,--the configuration powdered the surface soil. The ground dried to the bottom plate of the Anderson opener. A deeper depth would probably provide the dust mulch to hold moisture for seed germination. c)--Double Disc,--the configuration provided a lot of tillage. There was significant loose surface mulch that dried down to the firm soil. A deeper depth will probably hold moisture for seed germination. d)--Angled Single Disc,--the configuration did not firm up the slot, and moisture was lost where soil had been lifted by the disc. A packer that firmed the loosened soil would probably hold moisture for germination. e)--Single Disc with inverted T,--the configuration held moisture the best. As advertised, if the integrity of the slot is not compromised (left open), very little moisture escapes. Unfortunately that's easier said then done.
All of these designs are good direct seed drills. The effort applied for successful seeding will vary with the unit. The old rule of thumb still applies, --disc drills work better in standing stubble compared to flattened stubble, and hoe drills prefer stubble length to be less than the row spacing.
June 23, was a warm day. Seventy five people braved the heat and dirt to see five drill styles tackle the field of mowed and standing stubble. The event was put on by the Palouse Rocklake Conservation District. There was a good mix of farmers from a 60 mile radius, University and USDA people, and two dealer representatives present. Floor Dry was used in place of seed and that turned out to be a good substitute. The white color contrasted well with the brown dirt, and we won't be fighting volunteer cultivars all summer and early fall.
A WSU researcher reported on their studies with the Stripper Header at the Lind, WA station. In general, the tall stubble keeps the ground warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Air velocity across the ground surface is significantly reduced with the longer stubble, which helped keep the boundary layer of high humidity at the soil surface. In short, these factors reduce the rate of evaporation off the soil surface. As reported in an earlier post, evaporation is approximately 83% of our moisture use/loss. Two weeks ago we placed four HOBO temperature sensors in the ground, --a) under a board firmed to the ground, b) under heavy mowed residue, c) under residue in tall stubble, and d) in bare ground with all surface residue removed, but untilled. We will read them this fall and again next spring. We have verified these results last year with our HOBO's. This is an excellent site to add data for further verification.
Grower experience with the stripper header indicate that increased capacity of older combines can be expected. The stripper header is excellent in small grains. We have harvested mustard with success. We will attempt peas and garbs this year. Theoretically the stripper header will harvest any crop that will fit under it's hood.
Field background: The field has been Direct Seeded for 23 years with no residue manipulation other than mowing. No harrowing. The plot has 2014 winter wheat residue that had large areas mowed. Most of the area has good ground cover plus the 2014 crop residue. The residue is very dry, and the ground under it has good moisture. The seeding area is complex with variable soils and variable residue conditions. In the pic below, from left to right is the CrossSlot(single disc w inverted T), JD750(single disc w 7 degree angle), Horsch/Anderson(≈ 5"wide hoe), AgPro(≈1"narrow hoe), Palouse Zero Till(double disc). All the units were designed as single pass drills, applying both seed and fertilizer. Each drill made two passes with no changes from the original drill setup.
All of these designs are good direct seed drills. The effort applied for successful seeding will vary with the unit. The old rule of thumb still applies, --disc drills work better in standing stubble compared to flattened stubble, and hoe drills prefer stubble length to be less than the row spacing.
June 23, was a warm day. Seventy five people braved the heat and dirt to see five drill styles tackle the field of mowed and standing stubble. The event was put on by the Palouse Rocklake Conservation District. There was a good mix of farmers from a 60 mile radius, University and USDA people, and two dealer representatives present. Floor Dry was used in place of seed and that turned out to be a good substitute. The white color contrasted well with the brown dirt, and we won't be fighting volunteer cultivars all summer and early fall.
A WSU researcher reported on their studies with the Stripper Header at the Lind, WA station. In general, the tall stubble keeps the ground warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Air velocity across the ground surface is significantly reduced with the longer stubble, which helped keep the boundary layer of high humidity at the soil surface. In short, these factors reduce the rate of evaporation off the soil surface. As reported in an earlier post, evaporation is approximately 83% of our moisture use/loss. Two weeks ago we placed four HOBO temperature sensors in the ground, --a) under a board firmed to the ground, b) under heavy mowed residue, c) under residue in tall stubble, and d) in bare ground with all surface residue removed, but untilled. We will read them this fall and again next spring. We have verified these results last year with our HOBO's. This is an excellent site to add data for further verification.
Grower experience with the stripper header indicate that increased capacity of older combines can be expected. The stripper header is excellent in small grains. We have harvested mustard with success. We will attempt peas and garbs this year. Theoretically the stripper header will harvest any crop that will fit under it's hood.
Field background: The field has been Direct Seeded for 23 years with no residue manipulation other than mowing. No harrowing. The plot has 2014 winter wheat residue that had large areas mowed. Most of the area has good ground cover plus the 2014 crop residue. The residue is very dry, and the ground under it has good moisture. The seeding area is complex with variable soils and variable residue conditions. In the pic below, from left to right is the CrossSlot(single disc w inverted T), JD750(single disc w 7 degree angle), Horsch/Anderson(≈ 5"wide hoe), AgPro(≈1"narrow hoe), Palouse Zero Till(double disc). All the units were designed as single pass drills, applying both seed and fertilizer. Each drill made two passes with no changes from the original drill setup.
Results: All the drill types were able to seed through the standing and mowed residue for the short distance encountered in the demonstration. Some clumping and shedding of residue was noticed behind the hoe drills. Each hoe drill did have a straw bridge at some point in the demo. With the conditions as dry as they were, the disc drills ran easily through both the standing and mowed residue. Straw tucking was evident, but probably not an issue with any of the disc drills. The CrossSlot, with it's inverted T slot rarely show any effect of straw tucking even though that is the signature look. The seed is tucked to the side in the T slot away from the straw. The appearance of straw tuck helps eliminate sealing of the surface, making it easier for the coleoptile to emerge from the soil, while at the same time, sealing in the high humidity environment around the seed. This design, if the slot closure is not compromised, allows seed to geminate in a lower moisture environment than other seeding systems.
Pic above shows producers looking at the placement of the Floor Dry, and the approach of the Palouse Zero Till drill on it's return pass.
One point of interest to me was the comparison of the CrossSlot with the JD750. I have always accepted the idea that the JD750 was the lowest disturbance drill where it cuts-lifts-drops the soil in place. However, the CrossSlot definitely left the field looking as if it caused less surface disturbance, and left the residue tighter on the surface. Did the JD750 disturb more soil, and sift more seed through the residue onto the soil surface? That is questionable. Maybe time will tell. Green growth and soil disturbance go hand in hand. The more the disturbance, the more the green growth.
A surprise to me was, which drill did more processing of the residue, and the soil surface. I assumed that the Horsch, with it's wide hoe and recovery disc's to backfill the seed trench, would be the clear winner; however, the Palouse Zero Till with it's close row spacing may actually be more aggressive. I think the green-up will decide the winner.
All in all, I was pleased with the demonstration. Hopefully the drill participants, along with the attendees learned a little, should they develop an interest in a stripper header. It needs to be kept in mind that this was a relatively light crop with shorter than normal stubble height. I hear that Shelbourne has recently doubled their manufacturing capacity, so, interest is apparently building.
Monday, May 25, 2015
COMMENTS ABOUT DIRECT SEEDING IN LOW RAINFALL REGIONS
There are very few rules that apply to successfully starting a crop, whether under cultivation or by direct seeding. a--place the seed where it can imbibe moisture when ground temperature is conducive to seed germination. (Traditional thinking meant that this required seed-soil contact as paramount. New thinking is that soil humidity is paramount and seed-soil contact has importance but is secondary) b--place the seed so the sprout can reach the surface, and the root can gain purchase in moist soil. Those are the basic rules.
With the root in moist soil and the shoot receiving light the plant becomes a manufacturing facility. Take either the light or moisture away from the plant and manufacturing shuts down. Those of us in commercial dry land farming don't have control over the light, and traditionally we haven't felt that we have any control over the moisture. Using the study (Pappendick/Ramig--more detail in post dated: Aug 19/2012)) that set me on this path, and seeing what is transpiring in our own operation, I have come to believe that we have significant influence on moisture. The above mentioned study, indicated how rainfall was used over a 10 year period: 1% went to deep penetration, 4% ran off the surface, 12% transpiration through the crop, and 83% evaporates off the soil surface. Our farming practices have a direct effect on three of these elements, and possibly all four. Cropping intensity addresses the 1%. Cropping intensity is more than annual cropping vs. fallow. It includes a cultivars root structure and it's individual moisture requirement. Mix and match these cultivars in a rotation to capture moisture before it escapes below the rooting zone. The quality, quantity, and position, of our crop residue effects the 4% and 83%. This means that our farming practices have an effect on 88% of the moisture our crops receive. This is powerful information. Our farming practices determine whether the moisture we receive is maximized for crop production, or frittered away. At the end of Dr. Pappendicks presentation in 1989, his concluding statement was: ---"You can't do much to change these numbers but it is best to keep the soil cool and the surface calm as possible". Since the 80's, things have changed. I would like to see this study redone using ULD technology and residue in place. We now have technology that will punch through a heavy mat of residue with very little surface disturbance. This same technology can be used with residue that stands as tall as the tractor cab. We now can successfully emerge a crop though conditions that allows us to keep the soil surface cool and the soil surface calm.
It's a given that the lower the rainfall, the harder it is to armor the ground with crop residue. Lower rainfall areas normally have progressively lighter soils, lower organic, silt and clay content and increasing sand content. The challenge to retain moisture and grow economically sustaining crops increases as one goes from a 15" to 7" rainfall regions HOW DOES ONE EVEN START IN THESE CONDITIONS? ---MY SUGGESTION IS AS FOLLOWS:
----Start by developing a new mind set on how to raise a crop. I have come around to believe that residue is everything. It is the basic building block for soil in dryland farming. If you see dirt, my conclusion is, you don't have enough residue. Build it, and protect it.
----Rethink what you raise for crops. Rethink fallow. Think beyond winter wheat!
----Will your soils store water? They probably do, at least for a short period of time, or you wouldn't be cropping the ground. An interesting exercise is to take a plank (suggest a 2x12x12) and place it firmly on a fallowed piece of ground when you start spring work. In the fall when you prepare to seed that fallow field, lift the plank and see if there is moisture, at the surface. If that small area shows dampness, that tells you that your soils have not wicked out, after a significant amount of time passage. To me, that is hope, and an opportunity. Residue will not replace a board; however, if the moisture had not wicked out the sides of that small impervious cap, it is an indicator that residue will help. I experienced this years ago. A chem fallow field with a dry fall, and sparse residue had moisture down 5", and under the board, there was moisture at the soil surface, so the question became: a--how to get residue to mimmic the board, and b--how do you seed the crop without losing that moisture (which was "thin").
----Take a piece of property and dedicate it to no-till and start building residue. You will likely need custom operators, so, look into that before you start. Successful no-till is management intensive and time sensitive. You have to get your mind around new ideas, and spray and drill operations have a narrower window for optimum response, over tillage.
----Build residue: a---quit all tillage and/or residue management practices. All interaction with residue degrades it (wheels, tracks, harrows, mowers, ect.). Because residue is fragile and easily destroyed you will need to do a ultra-low disturbance system (ULD) to have any hope of building and maintaining residue. b--most single disc, one pass drills qualify as ULD. If you have consistent soil conditions (same soil with no hard or soft areas, and an even spread of residue) the CrossSlot may not be the lowest disturbance one pass drill available. The CrossSlot is excellent in complex seeding environments. c---select cultivars that degrade slowly. Once a sufficient residue level is reached, protect it so you can start adding diversity in your cropping system.
----Add cover crops: I/We have no practical experience with this practice --only background information. We have made our first stab in the dark by seeding 70ac with a variety of cultivar mixes.
More than likely regular cropping will not develop significant residue even with all ULD tricks applied in the very low rainfall regions. This is where cover crops may play a role. a----raise a high biomass cultivar and terminate growth at max biomass prior to viable seed development. With this practice you are trading short term return for long term gain. This phase may take two cover crops raised back to back to develop sufficient residue. Cereal rye is reported to be an excellent builder of biomass. The caution here is to be sure that your seed lot is certified as a single cultivar. Apparently cereal rye is commonly marketed with as many as five undisclosed separate cultivars that mature differently. I think we are all familiar with what that means. b---once you get the soil surface protected then look at other factors of soil health, --structure and biological. Improved structure comes with eliminating tillage. I link high disturbance no-till to a reduced tillage practice.
----Rethink fallow. There are several studies done on the efficiency of fallow. These center around the rainfall received during the 13m fallow period and what is available for the crop following the 13m fallow period. The efficiencies ranged from ≈ 34% (in the PNW) to <20% (in the South). Stated another way, During the fallow period, 66% to >80% of the rainfall received is not available for crop production. It is lost to one of the other three factors,--deep penetration, runoff, evaporation.
The June 20th, 2015 addition of NO-TILL FARMER has an interview with an eastern Montana farmer. Very interesting! 14" rainfall area. He has ULD system, introduced cover crops and has increased his crop rotation, and removed fallow from his system with no loss of yield.
Earthfort Laboratory in Salem, OR is where we are going for testing of soil biological health. They have several tests, and programs to learn more about soil health and how to improve it. Their website is <www.oregonfoodweb.com>
With the root in moist soil and the shoot receiving light the plant becomes a manufacturing facility. Take either the light or moisture away from the plant and manufacturing shuts down. Those of us in commercial dry land farming don't have control over the light, and traditionally we haven't felt that we have any control over the moisture. Using the study (Pappendick/Ramig--more detail in post dated: Aug 19/2012)) that set me on this path, and seeing what is transpiring in our own operation, I have come to believe that we have significant influence on moisture. The above mentioned study, indicated how rainfall was used over a 10 year period: 1% went to deep penetration, 4% ran off the surface, 12% transpiration through the crop, and 83% evaporates off the soil surface. Our farming practices have a direct effect on three of these elements, and possibly all four. Cropping intensity addresses the 1%. Cropping intensity is more than annual cropping vs. fallow. It includes a cultivars root structure and it's individual moisture requirement. Mix and match these cultivars in a rotation to capture moisture before it escapes below the rooting zone. The quality, quantity, and position, of our crop residue effects the 4% and 83%. This means that our farming practices have an effect on 88% of the moisture our crops receive. This is powerful information. Our farming practices determine whether the moisture we receive is maximized for crop production, or frittered away. At the end of Dr. Pappendicks presentation in 1989, his concluding statement was: ---"You can't do much to change these numbers but it is best to keep the soil cool and the surface calm as possible". Since the 80's, things have changed. I would like to see this study redone using ULD technology and residue in place. We now have technology that will punch through a heavy mat of residue with very little surface disturbance. This same technology can be used with residue that stands as tall as the tractor cab. We now can successfully emerge a crop though conditions that allows us to keep the soil surface cool and the soil surface calm.
It's a given that the lower the rainfall, the harder it is to armor the ground with crop residue. Lower rainfall areas normally have progressively lighter soils, lower organic, silt and clay content and increasing sand content. The challenge to retain moisture and grow economically sustaining crops increases as one goes from a 15" to 7" rainfall regions HOW DOES ONE EVEN START IN THESE CONDITIONS? ---MY SUGGESTION IS AS FOLLOWS:
----Start by developing a new mind set on how to raise a crop. I have come around to believe that residue is everything. It is the basic building block for soil in dryland farming. If you see dirt, my conclusion is, you don't have enough residue. Build it, and protect it.
----Rethink what you raise for crops. Rethink fallow. Think beyond winter wheat!
----Will your soils store water? They probably do, at least for a short period of time, or you wouldn't be cropping the ground. An interesting exercise is to take a plank (suggest a 2x12x12) and place it firmly on a fallowed piece of ground when you start spring work. In the fall when you prepare to seed that fallow field, lift the plank and see if there is moisture, at the surface. If that small area shows dampness, that tells you that your soils have not wicked out, after a significant amount of time passage. To me, that is hope, and an opportunity. Residue will not replace a board; however, if the moisture had not wicked out the sides of that small impervious cap, it is an indicator that residue will help. I experienced this years ago. A chem fallow field with a dry fall, and sparse residue had moisture down 5", and under the board, there was moisture at the soil surface, so the question became: a--how to get residue to mimmic the board, and b--how do you seed the crop without losing that moisture (which was "thin").
----Take a piece of property and dedicate it to no-till and start building residue. You will likely need custom operators, so, look into that before you start. Successful no-till is management intensive and time sensitive. You have to get your mind around new ideas, and spray and drill operations have a narrower window for optimum response, over tillage.
----Build residue: a---quit all tillage and/or residue management practices. All interaction with residue degrades it (wheels, tracks, harrows, mowers, ect.). Because residue is fragile and easily destroyed you will need to do a ultra-low disturbance system (ULD) to have any hope of building and maintaining residue. b--most single disc, one pass drills qualify as ULD. If you have consistent soil conditions (same soil with no hard or soft areas, and an even spread of residue) the CrossSlot may not be the lowest disturbance one pass drill available. The CrossSlot is excellent in complex seeding environments. c---select cultivars that degrade slowly. Once a sufficient residue level is reached, protect it so you can start adding diversity in your cropping system.
----Add cover crops: I/We have no practical experience with this practice --only background information. We have made our first stab in the dark by seeding 70ac with a variety of cultivar mixes.
More than likely regular cropping will not develop significant residue even with all ULD tricks applied in the very low rainfall regions. This is where cover crops may play a role. a----raise a high biomass cultivar and terminate growth at max biomass prior to viable seed development. With this practice you are trading short term return for long term gain. This phase may take two cover crops raised back to back to develop sufficient residue. Cereal rye is reported to be an excellent builder of biomass. The caution here is to be sure that your seed lot is certified as a single cultivar. Apparently cereal rye is commonly marketed with as many as five undisclosed separate cultivars that mature differently. I think we are all familiar with what that means. b---once you get the soil surface protected then look at other factors of soil health, --structure and biological. Improved structure comes with eliminating tillage. I link high disturbance no-till to a reduced tillage practice.
----Rethink fallow. There are several studies done on the efficiency of fallow. These center around the rainfall received during the 13m fallow period and what is available for the crop following the 13m fallow period. The efficiencies ranged from ≈ 34% (in the PNW) to <20% (in the South). Stated another way, During the fallow period, 66% to >80% of the rainfall received is not available for crop production. It is lost to one of the other three factors,--deep penetration, runoff, evaporation.
The June 20th, 2015 addition of NO-TILL FARMER has an interview with an eastern Montana farmer. Very interesting! 14" rainfall area. He has ULD system, introduced cover crops and has increased his crop rotation, and removed fallow from his system with no loss of yield.
Earthfort Laboratory in Salem, OR is where we are going for testing of soil biological health. They have several tests, and programs to learn more about soil health and how to improve it. Their website is <www.oregonfoodweb.com>
Sunday, May 24, 2015
SEEDING WITH CROSS-SLOT - SPRING 2015
[8/23/15 UPDATE]: Earlier I had a question brought up to me about seeding depth for peas. 3-4 inches seemed a bit deep to the reader. We seeded spring standup peas this spring. Earlier we talked to a breeder I have known for years, making inquiry about several issues, including preferred seeding depth. His response was --no less than 2 inches and 3 would be better in the case of either fall, dormant, or spring seeding. Most of his customer base is now direct seeding and more than 3" depth is hard to achieve. Deep seeded peas handle the freezing-thawing cycles better than peas seeded around 1-1.5". The ground temperature needs to be 45 degrees or they will set there unsprouted. Once they break germ they can set for a long time in the cold before emerging. Late seeded (dormant seeding) winter peas tend to survive winter well --just time seeding to get them to break germ before complete freeze up.
[Update 7/26/15] -- Recent conversation with Kye indicates that not all of the openers exhibit the scraper problem. This was determined by taking off those scrapers as they plugged and running the remainder. Are there differences in openers that plug, and those that don't plug? We don't have a lot of runtime using this hypothesis, but it's something we will pursue.
An interesting note: Dr. Keith Saxton mentioned to me that this is the very condition, (seed on the surface, and uneven plant population), they experienced 20 years ago that led to the development of the scraper.
[Update 6/14/15] -- Recent field inspections are showing a problem with our drill. Because of our ground-residue conditions we have not been able to use the scrapers that are part of the CrosSlot design --the openers plug and drag frequently leaving voids and piles. We noticed this spring that the fields were showing striping. It turns out that when the seed tube is on the downhill side of the disc, it encounters a lot of pressure as the disc resists downhill movement of the drill. This pressure is enough that a percentage of the seed, not being held in place by a scrapper is being dragged to the surface by the rotating disc, resulting in a thinned stand. If it were not for doing a lot of A-B line drilling this situation may not be noticeable. To a certain extent, I believe this condition exists with all seed types, but crops with rough or irregular shaped seed are more noticeable. Potential solutions are --1) figure how to use the/a scrapper that will hold the seed in place, 2) use the swinging hitch to remove this side pressure by changing the position of draft on the drill.
This has been a very good spring. I don't think we have ever had this quality of stand for spring crops in my career. Spring wheat (DNS), spring barley, Billy Beans, spring peas all have excellent stands. The Billy Beans may be a little thin, do to seed quality. We didn't take the low germination into account. Adding back 15% would have made the stand thicker. We give the CrossSlot with it's ADF system the credit with it's ability to place seed properly in a complex seed bed, --whether it is hard, soft, overladen with heavy residue, or bare ground. It senses and automatically adjusts the down pressure on the openers to match the conditions under the drill, keeping the seed at the proper depth, --hence, giving us the stand we have today. This is the second year that we have seeded with our own machine and our confidence is going through the roof. What a relief, after all the years of attempts to seed spring crops, with varying success, ---always with the concern as to whether we could seed through the residue.
We have seeded several fields with various cover crop mixes this spring. Some mixes included large and small seed together, and mixes where seed was divided and mixed as small and large seed. This allowed planting the seed close to their preferred depth. We have that capability with a split seed box, and duel drives (one for the front rank and one for the rear rank of openers). We hope to find out whether we get a better cover crop stand when each cultivar is seeded at it's proper depth.
Below are pics showing an emerged stand of peas and billy beans in less than ideal seed bed conditions.
 |
| Standup spring peas in winter wheat stubble -- good residue cover most places. |
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| Billy beans in very heavy mat of winter wheat residue. |
There is a lot of variation in amounts of residue on the soil surface. We strive for enough residue where we don't see dirt. It's a goal we have reached on approximately half of our acres. This will be a bigger challenge as low residue crops take up a larger part of our crop rotation. I'm hoping that we can introduce cover crops to assist in building residue, ---HOW????
We are finding that success in direct seeding (including crop yields) improves as surface residue accumulates.
We are finding that success in direct seeding (including crop yields) improves as surface residue accumulates.
This tangle of long straw smashed down over a combine chaff row is probably the most challenging condition for any drill. A spongy mat that resists penetration. The CrossSlot does a remarkable job in these conditions. Fortunately, there is always moisture at the soil surface, so some shallowing of the seed due to the depth of mat still leaves seed in good moist soil. We have learned to seed small grains at 1.5", or more. We have successfully brought up spring wheat in areas with as much as 20,000+ #/ac of residue. [see Update for Posting: May17/14]
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
1st 2015 DOWNPOUR
[Update: 5/29/15] --This past week the Palouse has had a series of thunder storms, and in scattered locations have resulted in serious damage to exposed ground. Unstable weather is predicted to continue in the region. When you look at the national weather events and see the extremes, one wonders when those extremes will engulf us, --either drought like California, or deluge like Texas. World wide, weather appears to be increasing in severity. My thought is that it will happen here, --but when and with what severity? A Texas size storm would obliterate our land regardless of cropping practices; however, there is a lot of gradation between the Texas type storms and the little bangers we have received, which we can armor our land against. It's as simple as eliminate loosening the soil with cultivation, keeping the soil surface covered, and keeping the soil anchored with roots (alive or dead) from the surface down. These two things give us the best protection from unusual events whether temperature or water related.
Saturday evening, May 16th, Thunderstorms hit eastern Whitman County with rains that did serious damage to some fields. Fortunately the damage was limited to a narrow strip of land; however, the impact is going to be felt over a wide area. Creeks in the effected watersheds were running thick. They look more like mud flows than creeks. Thousands of tons of soil along with attached fertilizer and chemistry left the farms and will end up in lakes, rivers and ocean.
The fields I saw didn't even have the basic conservation practices applied. They were denuded of residue, cultivated and seeded vertically, and the surface worked to a fine texture. We are living in the age of 500+ horsepower tractors and the environment and ground is paying the price.
An event in February, 2014, showed me that even fields with good armor and soil structure are subject to runoff; however, in our case the water loss was clear. (see post of 2/27/14)
Operations that abuse the ground, and there are many in the Palouse, will not be held accountable as past experience proves; however, they are big contributors to the publics attitude towards farmers and their out cry for for more regulations and restrictions that effect all of us. If the appropriate regulators would target gross abusers and work with them to clean up their act we would all be better off.
Saturday evening, May 16th, Thunderstorms hit eastern Whitman County with rains that did serious damage to some fields. Fortunately the damage was limited to a narrow strip of land; however, the impact is going to be felt over a wide area. Creeks in the effected watersheds were running thick. They look more like mud flows than creeks. Thousands of tons of soil along with attached fertilizer and chemistry left the farms and will end up in lakes, rivers and ocean.
The fields I saw didn't even have the basic conservation practices applied. They were denuded of residue, cultivated and seeded vertically, and the surface worked to a fine texture. We are living in the age of 500+ horsepower tractors and the environment and ground is paying the price.
An event in February, 2014, showed me that even fields with good armor and soil structure are subject to runoff; however, in our case the water loss was clear. (see post of 2/27/14)
Operations that abuse the ground, and there are many in the Palouse, will not be held accountable as past experience proves; however, they are big contributors to the publics attitude towards farmers and their out cry for for more regulations and restrictions that effect all of us. If the appropriate regulators would target gross abusers and work with them to clean up their act we would all be better off.
Friday, May 15, 2015
REDUCED WEED PRESSURE
[Update: 5/24/15] We have recently sprayed our CF and DNS. We have so few weeds in these fields that it is difficult to justify the cost of chemical, but it is to soon to cut these applications. Our agronomist advised against application to the CF, but we couldn't leave the scattered single Downy Brome plants. We put out one short load doing the draws and bordering the CRP.
The DNS has a light infestation of Downy Brome (the bane of our small grains and fallow rotation), and plants from the failed winter canola crop. We hit the crop with a fungicide, broadleaf, and grass herbicide.
When I started direct seeding, years ago, one worry I had, was --chaff rows left by the combine. Combines of any make will drop grain, and in areas, a lot of grain. Our combine is no different then anyone else's. Rains fall, seed germinates, and fields green up, but over the years ours have consistently shown less than most fields. Since 2012 when we bought the stripper head and changed from high disturbance direct seeding to ultra low disturbance direct seeding I have noticed that we have further reduced the weed pressure in our fields.
We have some theories but no validated research to support the claims.
----Leaving the seed bank on the surface hastens its destruction over planting it! For a long time I have felt that the elements (heat, cold, rain, wind, sun) would decompose seed if it were not buried. There is a lot of research stating the number of years that various seeds can remain viable in the ground.
---Seed laying on a blanket of residue germinates, dries, and dies! We think this occurs, even on bare soil. Many seeds on the surface will take up moisture and dry and die before they can get a root anchored to sustain them. It appears that the thicker the residue layer the better.
---There are a lot of critters (granivores) skittering along the ground surface (birds, invertebrates, mammals) that eat seed. The tall stubble may be protection for these granivores.
The purpose of our direct seeding from the start was the lure of saving moisture for use by our crops as mentioned in other posts (label--Moisture). As we have progressed toward that goal, the reduction of weed pressure is a welcome side benefit.
Where do we go from here? With the adoption of the stripper head, and a ULD system in the form of the CrossSlot drill, we have reached a wall (in our thinking). We have been very successful to this point. What further can we do to improve moisture saving and weed reduction techniques. COVER CROPS????
The DNS has a light infestation of Downy Brome (the bane of our small grains and fallow rotation), and plants from the failed winter canola crop. We hit the crop with a fungicide, broadleaf, and grass herbicide.
When I started direct seeding, years ago, one worry I had, was --chaff rows left by the combine. Combines of any make will drop grain, and in areas, a lot of grain. Our combine is no different then anyone else's. Rains fall, seed germinates, and fields green up, but over the years ours have consistently shown less than most fields. Since 2012 when we bought the stripper head and changed from high disturbance direct seeding to ultra low disturbance direct seeding I have noticed that we have further reduced the weed pressure in our fields.
We have some theories but no validated research to support the claims.
----Leaving the seed bank on the surface hastens its destruction over planting it! For a long time I have felt that the elements (heat, cold, rain, wind, sun) would decompose seed if it were not buried. There is a lot of research stating the number of years that various seeds can remain viable in the ground.
---Seed laying on a blanket of residue germinates, dries, and dies! We think this occurs, even on bare soil. Many seeds on the surface will take up moisture and dry and die before they can get a root anchored to sustain them. It appears that the thicker the residue layer the better.
---There are a lot of critters (granivores) skittering along the ground surface (birds, invertebrates, mammals) that eat seed. The tall stubble may be protection for these granivores.
The purpose of our direct seeding from the start was the lure of saving moisture for use by our crops as mentioned in other posts (label--Moisture). As we have progressed toward that goal, the reduction of weed pressure is a welcome side benefit.
Where do we go from here? With the adoption of the stripper head, and a ULD system in the form of the CrossSlot drill, we have reached a wall (in our thinking). We have been very successful to this point. What further can we do to improve moisture saving and weed reduction techniques. COVER CROPS????
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
DRILL DEMONSTRATION IN TALL RESIDUE
2015, June 23rd @ 9am, ---the the demonstration site is 5.5 miles west of St. John on SR23 to Eriksen Road, than ≈ one half mile south on Eriksen Road. All interested individuals are welcome.
Interest in the Shelbourn Stripper Header is building, but there are few opportunities to see how different drill designs will handle the heavy / tall residue. Barley will be provided for the drill participants.
The purpose of the demonstration is to give participants and onlookers, a quick and easy way to experience management issues associated with heavy and tall crop residue.
The demonstration site is on 2014 winter wheat stubble. This is not the best residue year, nor is this the best site, but it's timely and convenient. The standing residue is 26-30" tall. The yield at the location was (+/-)70 bushels, depending on specific area. The field has been direct seeded since 1992, and has not been touched by any tillage equipment including harrows. Since 2012 this field has had ULD technology applied.
We will have part of the area mowed. This will show how a rotary mower conditions the straw. Hopefully the conditioning will allow the hoe drills to operate successfully. I expected that mowing will improve conditions for the hoe drills and adversely impact the disc drills.
Drills currently scheduled for the demonstration:
---CrossSlot (single disc) (single pass)
---Horsch (hoe) (single pass)
---AgPro (hoe) (single pass)
---Palouse Zero-Till (double disc) (single pass)
---John Deere 750 (single disc) (single pass)
---Great Plains w Exactrix (double disc) (two pass)
---The Shelbourn Stripper Head will be on display
---The Schulte 26' rotary mower will demonstrate it's effectiveness on tall stubble.
--- A flail mower will demonstrate it's effectiveness on tall stubble.
There are several other brands of drills that are promoted as direct seeders. The ones listed represent most of the drill types available, ---narrow hoe, wide hoe, double disc, offset single disc, straight single disc.
Interest in the Shelbourn Stripper Header is building, but there are few opportunities to see how different drill designs will handle the heavy / tall residue. Barley will be provided for the drill participants.
The purpose of the demonstration is to give participants and onlookers, a quick and easy way to experience management issues associated with heavy and tall crop residue.
The demonstration site is on 2014 winter wheat stubble. This is not the best residue year, nor is this the best site, but it's timely and convenient. The standing residue is 26-30" tall. The yield at the location was (+/-)70 bushels, depending on specific area. The field has been direct seeded since 1992, and has not been touched by any tillage equipment including harrows. Since 2012 this field has had ULD technology applied.
We will have part of the area mowed. This will show how a rotary mower conditions the straw. Hopefully the conditioning will allow the hoe drills to operate successfully. I expected that mowing will improve conditions for the hoe drills and adversely impact the disc drills.
Drills currently scheduled for the demonstration:
---CrossSlot (single disc) (single pass)
---Horsch (hoe) (single pass)
---AgPro (hoe) (single pass)
---Palouse Zero-Till (double disc) (single pass)
---John Deere 750 (single disc) (single pass)
---Great Plains w Exactrix (double disc) (two pass)
---The Shelbourn Stripper Head will be on display
---The Schulte 26' rotary mower will demonstrate it's effectiveness on tall stubble.
--- A flail mower will demonstrate it's effectiveness on tall stubble.
There are several other brands of drills that are promoted as direct seeders. The ones listed represent most of the drill types available, ---narrow hoe, wide hoe, double disc, offset single disc, straight single disc.
Friday, February 6, 2015
SPOKANE'S AG EXPO & FARM FORUM 2015
Art Douglas (Ph.D, Professor Emeritus, Creighton University's Atmospheric Science Department) gave his prediction for the growing season in the Pacific Northwest. Douglas has been a regular at this event since the mid 70's. The short version:
-----In general, it's a coin toss. El Nino is not acting in normal pattern. The models are all over the board. His conclusion, with no real confidence, is that El Nino will build slightly over the spring and early summer, and then start fading.
----We likely will not have any more arctic breakouts that will effect our region this year.
----We can expect a dryer and warmer February than is normal (whatever that is). Best chance for rain will be in April (could be problematic for seeding). August may see active weather pattern (not good for harvest around here).
----Fall may be dry again (not good for seeding). Weather pattern may revert to more "normal" in late fall and winter.
----California is going to get a lot of rain, from now through early spring, and we will get some. It appears California will have another year of flooding, sliding, and burning.
----Temperatures will be warmer in general although we may have a cool spring.
The auditorium was full, and I would guess that there is more than one interpretation of Douglas' forecast. The micro-climates associated with these hills will probably play big this year. We will not want to squander opportunity to plant and harvest, in what is likely going to be a volatile weather year.
Douglas explains climate change in terms of sunspot activity, cycles, earth's tilt and position with the sun, and ocean temperature. It's all integrated and complex relationships. He states that human activity has added CO2, but I get the impression that it's not the driver in climate change. Some tid-bits I gleaned:
----It was recently broadcast that CO2 levels have never been as high as they are today. Douglas showed a chart that went back 400,000 years that shows several periods with twice as much CO2 in the atmosphere. We live is such a micro moment of time.
----The earth tilt ranges approximately 5 degrees. This angle, along with the earths position in the orbit around the sun impacts where and what intensity, energy strikes the earths atmosphere.
----Sun flare intensity is lessening. Less energy reaching the earth will have a cooling effect.
----We have been in a warming phase for a long time. It appears we are peaking out and may be preparing for a long term cooling trend.
----The volume of ice has not changed much since the 1890's. Possibly a slight increase in the total. The northern hemisphere has been losing, while the southern hemisphere is gaining.
----When the ocean warms it gives up CO2 to the atmosphere. When the ocean cools it will take up CO2 from the atmosphere. The ocean has a huge amount of CO2.
Lessons learned for our operation: Nothing! STAY THE COURSE of investigating and applying soil building practices as quickly as feasible. This will trend to buffering climate extremes. These will translate into better moisture holding capacity that produces better crops with less erosion in a fickle environment. Hopefully these practices will evolve into less herbicide and fertilizer inputs as well.
The remainder of the Expo was a spent talking to seed company representatives about cover crop cultivars and their availability. Everything I heard sounded as if supplies were adequate locally, with maybe a weeks delay for cultivars not stocked. I'm getting closer to what I think we need for cultivars in our spring 2015 planting attempt. We may or may not get our small seed box mounted this spring. Although it would be handier with a separate small seed box, our main box is set up to handle the separation of large and small seed cultivars.
-----In general, it's a coin toss. El Nino is not acting in normal pattern. The models are all over the board. His conclusion, with no real confidence, is that El Nino will build slightly over the spring and early summer, and then start fading.
----We likely will not have any more arctic breakouts that will effect our region this year.
----We can expect a dryer and warmer February than is normal (whatever that is). Best chance for rain will be in April (could be problematic for seeding). August may see active weather pattern (not good for harvest around here).
----Fall may be dry again (not good for seeding). Weather pattern may revert to more "normal" in late fall and winter.
----California is going to get a lot of rain, from now through early spring, and we will get some. It appears California will have another year of flooding, sliding, and burning.
----Temperatures will be warmer in general although we may have a cool spring.
The auditorium was full, and I would guess that there is more than one interpretation of Douglas' forecast. The micro-climates associated with these hills will probably play big this year. We will not want to squander opportunity to plant and harvest, in what is likely going to be a volatile weather year.
Douglas explains climate change in terms of sunspot activity, cycles, earth's tilt and position with the sun, and ocean temperature. It's all integrated and complex relationships. He states that human activity has added CO2, but I get the impression that it's not the driver in climate change. Some tid-bits I gleaned:
----It was recently broadcast that CO2 levels have never been as high as they are today. Douglas showed a chart that went back 400,000 years that shows several periods with twice as much CO2 in the atmosphere. We live is such a micro moment of time.
----The earth tilt ranges approximately 5 degrees. This angle, along with the earths position in the orbit around the sun impacts where and what intensity, energy strikes the earths atmosphere.
----Sun flare intensity is lessening. Less energy reaching the earth will have a cooling effect.
----We have been in a warming phase for a long time. It appears we are peaking out and may be preparing for a long term cooling trend.
----The volume of ice has not changed much since the 1890's. Possibly a slight increase in the total. The northern hemisphere has been losing, while the southern hemisphere is gaining.
----When the ocean warms it gives up CO2 to the atmosphere. When the ocean cools it will take up CO2 from the atmosphere. The ocean has a huge amount of CO2.
Lessons learned for our operation: Nothing! STAY THE COURSE of investigating and applying soil building practices as quickly as feasible. This will trend to buffering climate extremes. These will translate into better moisture holding capacity that produces better crops with less erosion in a fickle environment. Hopefully these practices will evolve into less herbicide and fertilizer inputs as well.
The remainder of the Expo was a spent talking to seed company representatives about cover crop cultivars and their availability. Everything I heard sounded as if supplies were adequate locally, with maybe a weeks delay for cultivars not stocked. I'm getting closer to what I think we need for cultivars in our spring 2015 planting attempt. We may or may not get our small seed box mounted this spring. Although it would be handier with a separate small seed box, our main box is set up to handle the separation of large and small seed cultivars.
Friday, January 23, 2015
PNW Direct Seed / Oil Seed Conference 2015
Kennewick, WA. January 2015: Over 500 pre-registered.
This location is a great venue, with plenty of lodging, good food, and a meeting facility that is particularly suited with exhibit areas, breakout rooms and main meeting room. The organizers do an excellent job of weaving formal presentations, informal presentations, and break time where producers can get together with other producers, and researchers to clarify points given in the presentations or pick up information specific to their operations
The meeting consisted of updated information by growers and researchers on raising oil crops on soil health, and about cover crops. Most of the presentations on cover crops included a livestock component. As informative as they are, managing livestock does not address my reason for introducing cover crops into our cash crop rotation. I want to know how to use the cover crops to build the nutrient base, increase SOM, feed the soil biological life, and maintain seed zone moisture for successful emergence of a fall planted winter wheat crop. There were bits and pieces that I gleaned from the presentations that I found helpful.
Some salient points that I gleaned from the conference:
---The closer the growing point of canola is to the soil surface the better the winter survivability. That is a challenge for us that are working to build a mat of residue on the soil surface. Our CrossSlot will slice through a heavy mat. Will the slot clearance be adequate to establish the growing point near the soil surface?
---Canola needs 300 GDD going into winter. (A good number to have for reference.)
---Highest survival comes from successful emergence of a mid to late August planting.
---Planting the first week of August seems to provide best emergence of canola in eastern Wa.
---Canola will die if the ground is frozen 4" deep and there are single digit temperatures? Some say definitely yes, and some say not necessarily.
---Semi-dwarf canola cultivars are becoming available. (Will they yield similar to the tall varieties and be short enough for our stripper header to cut?)
--- Cover crops use moisture similar to what fallow loses through evaporation --until flowering. (There are caveat's to this, so don't take at face value!)
--- To maximize the biological activity in the soil, live roots need to be present at all times of the year. (The green bridge has kind of fallen off the radar. The last three years we have had two opportunities for "green bridge" to bite us and it hasn't -- what's happening?)
--- We harvest light energy, so holes in the crop canopy causes losses.
--- 75% humidity is threshold for rapid decay of residue. (Our region is well below that level, even under irrigation except for the time water is being applied.)
--- Cover crops will raise humidity level and increase decomposition of stalk and stems.
--- 18 pounds of pelleted compost from Royal Organics LLC (wheat grain size) added to seed row showed significant yield increase in wheat and canola. (maybe some potential here? Their compost apparently is dead not very dead since their claiming active biological activity. I'm thinking it's holding a little more moisture(?))
--- In general, crops utilizes only 2% of the soil profile. (?) (We need to improve the rooting of our plants to occupy more of the profile and harvest more of the moisture and nutrients that are available.)
--- The first 4" of moisture builds the plant. Every inch above that has yield potential.
--- water efficiencies (bu/in) have been measured in the range of 3-12 bushels of wheat per inch of moisture. Most efficiencies are in the 5-8 bushels per inch. A high management level is required to approach the 12 bushels per inch, and higher inputs will be required.
This location is a great venue, with plenty of lodging, good food, and a meeting facility that is particularly suited with exhibit areas, breakout rooms and main meeting room. The organizers do an excellent job of weaving formal presentations, informal presentations, and break time where producers can get together with other producers, and researchers to clarify points given in the presentations or pick up information specific to their operations
The meeting consisted of updated information by growers and researchers on raising oil crops on soil health, and about cover crops. Most of the presentations on cover crops included a livestock component. As informative as they are, managing livestock does not address my reason for introducing cover crops into our cash crop rotation. I want to know how to use the cover crops to build the nutrient base, increase SOM, feed the soil biological life, and maintain seed zone moisture for successful emergence of a fall planted winter wheat crop. There were bits and pieces that I gleaned from the presentations that I found helpful.
Some salient points that I gleaned from the conference:
---The closer the growing point of canola is to the soil surface the better the winter survivability. That is a challenge for us that are working to build a mat of residue on the soil surface. Our CrossSlot will slice through a heavy mat. Will the slot clearance be adequate to establish the growing point near the soil surface?
---Canola needs 300 GDD going into winter. (A good number to have for reference.)
---Highest survival comes from successful emergence of a mid to late August planting.
---Planting the first week of August seems to provide best emergence of canola in eastern Wa.
---Canola will die if the ground is frozen 4" deep and there are single digit temperatures? Some say definitely yes, and some say not necessarily.
---Semi-dwarf canola cultivars are becoming available. (Will they yield similar to the tall varieties and be short enough for our stripper header to cut?)
--- Cover crops use moisture similar to what fallow loses through evaporation --until flowering. (There are caveat's to this, so don't take at face value!)
--- To maximize the biological activity in the soil, live roots need to be present at all times of the year. (The green bridge has kind of fallen off the radar. The last three years we have had two opportunities for "green bridge" to bite us and it hasn't -- what's happening?)
--- We harvest light energy, so holes in the crop canopy causes losses.
--- 75% humidity is threshold for rapid decay of residue. (Our region is well below that level, even under irrigation except for the time water is being applied.)
--- Cover crops will raise humidity level and increase decomposition of stalk and stems.
--- 18 pounds of pelleted compost from Royal Organics LLC (wheat grain size) added to seed row showed significant yield increase in wheat and canola. (maybe some potential here? Their compost apparently is dead not very dead since their claiming active biological activity. I'm thinking it's holding a little more moisture(?))
--- In general, crops utilizes only 2% of the soil profile. (?) (We need to improve the rooting of our plants to occupy more of the profile and harvest more of the moisture and nutrients that are available.)
--- The first 4" of moisture builds the plant. Every inch above that has yield potential.
--- water efficiencies (bu/in) have been measured in the range of 3-12 bushels of wheat per inch of moisture. Most efficiencies are in the 5-8 bushels per inch. A high management level is required to approach the 12 bushels per inch, and higher inputs will be required.
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