Growing use of super-sized farm equipment is fueling compaction concerns, but new technology and some common-sense tips about tire pressure can help protect yields and profits.
As farms increase in size and no-tillers face pressure to be more efficient and productive, the size of farm equipment is bringing an ever-present danger of compaction.
The University of Minnesota Extension and North Dakota State University Extension Service are sponsoring a Tires, Traction and Compaction field day will focus on the causes and effects of compaction in farm fields.
Compaction and slippage problems can be easily improved by minor adjustments to tires; but by making an adjustment that improves one area of performance, the farmer may be giving up some performance in the other.
Corn stalks puncturing new and slightly worn tires on the tractor and corn planter of Kansas no-tiller Terry Jacob pushed him to find a solution that would save money on tires.
Some things, like coal, do their best work under pressure; soils, however, do not. Compaction causes a laundry list of troubles, including ponding water, reduced nutrient availability, erosion, poor root development and the list goes on.
Under the best of conditions, the demands placed on equipment tires used in traditional ag operations are brutal: excellent traction in all kinds of conditions; minimum soil compaction regardless of application; improved fuel efficiency whether pulling a fertilizer applicator or combining corn.
Bob Myers believes in twin-row corn. By no-tilling corn in twin rows, 6 inches apart on 30-inch centers, Myers has been able to push his corn yields to more than 200 bushels per acre.
No-tillers already minimize fuel expenses by not pulling tillage equipment over their fields. But, given the exploding cost of fuel, it can’t hurt to note that we can save even more by ensuring that we’re operating our equipment as efficiently as possible throughout the growing season. Here’s a checklist to help ensure thoroughness in further reducing your costs.
With the concentrated dairy industry in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, crops there are often grown on land fertilized with liquid manure that is hauled into the fields in tanker loads. While the manure is valuable for its nutrients and organic matter, the weight of the tankers concerns those who understand the dangers of soil compaction.
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On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, longtime no-tiller Jim Leverich explains why 20-inch corn rows are paying off big time on his Sparta, Wis., farm.
Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.
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