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 color change between the two mixes.  The darker green in the background was the PGG, 5 cultivar mix.  In the foreground the Nemaflex and Anaconda radishes bolted, bloomed and are setting seed.  Few Graza radish plants have bolted.  They spread large leaves across the ground.

This pic shows the 10 cultivar mix from Landmark in a low area providing a little more moisture.  Most of the cultivars are present in the pic.

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.

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.)

[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.

   

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.

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.

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.

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.

     

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>

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.

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.

    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]