Wrestling with residue in no-till | Soybean School

No-till soybean growers are always looking for ways to improve seedbed conditions without disturbing the soil. In this episode of RealAgriculture's Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness soybean specialist Horst Bohner visits Lucknow, Ont., brothers Lawrence Hogan and Steve Howard to see how they use a modified 16-row row-clearing unit from Quebec-based Ferme L & H Lamoureux to create an ideal planting strip for soybeans while maintaining the benefits of a long-term no-till system. The brothers have been true no-tillers for the past 10 years, rotating corn, soybeans, and wheat. Their system centres on creating a narrow strip of bare soil that warms and dries quickly ahead of planting. "Our experience with no-till is if you can get the soil dry at planting time, you've pretty well got it beat," says Lawrence Hogan. "We try to move no soil with it, and then that bare soil allows the sun to shine on it so it warms and dries quicker." The row clearer sweeps away winter-killed cover crop residue and corn stalks, leaving a 12- to 14-inch-wide strip for planting. The brothers have also customized the machine by replacing the original discs with shark-tooth notched discs cut from used John Deere no-till planter disc blades—a modification they say improves performance while keeping costs down. Timing is an important part of the system. Steve Howard typically runs the row clearer one to three days ahead of the planter, giving the soil time to warm and dry before the seed is placed. The machine operates at approximately 6.5 mph, burns just 0.6 litres of fuel per acre, and is pulled by a 90-horsepower John Deere 4040 tractor, making it an economical pass across the field. The brothers say the goal isn't to remove every piece of residue. Instead, they're clearing enough material to improve seed placement and emergence while leaving the remaining residue in place to protect the soil. Hogan says making the pass ahead of planting is what sets the system apart. "You want the soil dry before the planter gets there and smears it," he says. The system also covers a lot of ground efficiently. The 16-row machine can cover about 25 acres per hour and is used across roughly 300 acres each of corn and soybeans every spring. For Hogan and Howard, the benefits extend well beyond soybean establishment. They believe the residue management system complements their long-term no-till strategy by reducing costs while preserving soil structure, limiting erosion, and improving soil health. "I think we're very comparable to surrounding acres in yield," says Hogan. "We spend a lot less per acre than somebody that's still full tillage... and the long-term advantages of no-till in soil erosion, degradation and soil health are hard to put a dollar value on." Website: https://www.realagriculture.com/ #agriculture #farming #soybean Find us on our other social media platforms: X/Twitter:   / realagriculture   Instagram:   / realagriculture   Facebook:   / realagmedia