While equipment dealers, farmers and residents in the southeast begin the recovery process from damages from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, farming stakeholders in the High Plains are dealing with a completely different challenge.

Drought conditions, paired with high winds, are causing an increased fire threat. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of the High Plains are in some level of drought. At the same time, corn harvest is ongoing and there’s always a risk of an equipment-related fire could start.

Amy Timmerman, an educator for University of Nebraska Extension, reported recently that weather conditions are ripe for quick-moving fires, the risk is heightened by modern farming equipment. Today's combines — often made with synthetic materials — can easily catch fire, especially when hydraulic leaks or fuel spills contact smoldering crop residue.

Greg Meints, sales manager for Wells Implement in Plymouth, Neb., told Farm Equipment magazine that local fire departments have been urging farmers to hold back on harvest because of the dry conditions and high winds.

The best solution for stopping the fires is tillage, he says, but a lot of the farmers in the area are no-tillers now. He said the next year's crop could be impacted because the fire wipes out the residue and chars the soil.

Meints says fire departments are staging tractors with discs at some fields so they’re ready to go if a fire breaks out to keep the flames from spreading. A check of the wildfire locator map provided by the Fire Information for Resource Management System for the U.S. and Canada does not show any widespread fires in this areas.

There’s been an uptick in sales of chargeable water extinguishers, he adds, and he saw on the farmer forum AgTalk that some farmers are attaching spray tanks and pumps to their grain carts so they’re ready if a fire starts.

Recent studies have shown that most combine fires begin in the engine area, with 76.7% of incidents stemming from contact between crop residue and hot components like exhaust manifolds or turbochargers, Timmerman says. When a fire ignites, it can spread rapidly, especially if fuel lines or hydraulic hoses rupture.

Fortunately, advancements in equipment design have improved fire safety features. For instance, newer combines have more powerful radiator fans and strategically placed air intakes to minimize the risk of flammable materials entering critical areas, she adds.

For a grower who is no-tilling, having to choose between tillage and a wildfire burning a field is a no-win situation. High winds, dry fields and residue are a recipe for rapidly spreading wildfires that could jeopardize property, livestock and surrounding crops.

Residue is a tremendous fuel, especially in dry periods or when there’s low relative humidity, Purdue University has said. If a harvested field catches fire, no-tillers should assume at least some of the field nutrients went up in smoke, according to university researchers writing about the topic quoted in No-Till Farmer.

Nearly 100% of the nitrogen and 70-90% of the sulfur are lost to the atmosphere during stover combustion, Purdue has said. Those nutrients are lost directly to the atmosphere in various gaseous forms and are not retained to any appreciable extent in the ash.

Most other nutrients are retained in the ash and will be available to the next crop if they remain in the field. But they could be lost if ash is blown off the field by wind. Previous Purdue research documented that 20-40% of the phosphorus and potassium in several types of stover drifted away from the fire, presumably in smoke and particulate matter.

Tillage isn’t the best answer for a no-tiller either. Research has also shown that most of the damage done by tillage in any field occurs with the first pass. Removing crop residue and loosening soil could also worsen problems with wind and water erosion over the fall and winter.

Tillage may also destroy earthworm channels and deplete soil organic matter that might have taken years to build. Crop residue also serves as food for earthworms and soil microorganisms. Bare soil left vulnerable to winter rain and snow could cause crusting problems to deal with during spring planting.

FOR TIPS ON AVOIDING HARVEST FIRES, CLICK HERE.