Texas A&M AgriLife Extension soil scientist Paul DeLaune discusses how irrigated producers especially could potentially be reaping more dollars per acre if they include a cover crop on their continuous cotton acres.

With a wet harvest leaving farmers in many areas of western Canada considering options for addressing soil compaction, one option is seeding cover crops —specifically radishes — to break up root-restricting compacted soil, says Yvonne Lawley, plant science professor and researcher at the University of Manitoba.

In wet conditions, the best choice a grower can make is to stay away from the field and avoid trafifc on wet soil to reduce soil compaction, says Iowa State University Extension.

When soil moisture is at or exceeding field capacity, there is an increased potential for soil compaction, particularly at topsoil depths, says Iowa State University Extension.

Wheel traffic is a necessity for alfalfa production but can cause soil compaction and physical damage to the alfalfa crown or shoot, Ohio State University Extension says.

Concerns about serious compaction caused by the use of heavy farm machinery weighed on the mind of James Andrews when he put together the accompanying page for Farmers Weekly magazine in the United Kingdom.