Corn is finally taking off in the Western Corn Belt

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Published June 12, 2019 | By Mike Petersen

 

Image Above: Use of a Dickey-John cone penetrometer – Courtesy Pioneer Seed

 

We at Orthman have been out in the field collecting some very important data to verify with real numbers what the soil conditions are with Strip Till, especially in irrigated soils.  With the plentiful rains this spring which have been a Godsend for some and a deluge of too much for others across the Western into the Central and Eastern Corn Belt, the soils are exhibiting the issue of compaction and nitrogen either leached away from the upper root zone or way deep.

 

We are studying what soil resistance values are in the upper 15 inches to better express what we have seen for years as anecdotal information.  This time of the season is near perfect for running these tests.  As a soil scientist I have used soil penetrometers to identify where compaction exists and how thick those layers can be.  This season we are studying eight different soil textural types, three tillage methods; including No-Till or Direct Seeding, Conventional full width tillage and Strip-Till with the 1tRIPr (Orthman’s strip till implement).  With what we have collected so far the data is quite remarkable.  Our plans are to complete sampling and collection of data by the 21st of June.  So stay tuned but for sure visit our booth/stand at the 2019 Husker Harvest Days near Grand Island, Nebraska the second week of September.  We will be sharing it as a special program for visitors of the Orthman Manufacturing, Inc. stand.  The value of having this data should really tell growers some valuable clues on their tillage practices which influence, soil health, growth of crops and water management.

 

If I may, a suggestion is to check with your Territory Representative for Orthman by email, text or a phone call and chat with him about what we are discovering and what is this all about.  OR… communicate directly with me, Mike Petersen and I am glad to visit because this information has long term ramifications on your farm.  Even those of you that have used the No-Till method will be quite interested in what is happening below the surface.

 

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