My day job handling research projects for the Illinois Soybean Growers association has caused me to cut back on my own farm research projects, as well as time to write about them. So let me catch up.

 

Rye protects the soil from erosive damages in the spring, suppresses weeds, scavenges nutrients, and organically banks nitrogen applied early in the spring. (DTN photo by Daniel Davidson)

I recently blogged about my 'fantastic' mole plow http://bit.ly/… and sure enough it works. After I wrote that, I got a call from a South Dakota farmer who bought a brand new 3-point-mount single plow with a 3-foot shank and a torpedo on the bottom. It only cost him $1,200 with a John Deere brand to boot.

However, I still believe mine is better primarily for one reason, the shanks are located 8 to 10 feet behind the rear wheels and I can back-up and drop the shanks over the edge of the creek.

Back to the field, last fall I planted my rye cover crop into some corn and soybean stubble. I drilled some at 56 pounds (a bushel) and broadcast some rye at 70 pounds. Where we drilled, we ran an Aerway or Smart-Till first and then seeded. For broadcast, we seeded then ran an Aerway or Smart-Till.

The rye grew much faster when broadcast and incorporated compared to drilled. It was three or four times bigger, but I'm not sure what to make of it yet, other than conclude it is better (and cheaper) to broadcast and incorporate than drill.

I like rye because it protects the soil from erosive damages in the spring, it suppresses weeds, it scavenges nutrients, and it organically banks nitrogen applied early in the spring (37 gallons of UAN32 or 130 pounds).

That nitrogen will be released when the rye is killed off at jointing. While I have no scientific evidence this is true, my anecdotal observation seems to support this hypothesis. And if my instincts are correct, rye will serve as a natural nitrogen stabilizer.

We used a shot of glyphosate to kill the rye just before planting, and included Energy-Pack biostimulant from Micro-Energy along with 0.125 lbs of table sugar per acre. The biostimulant is added to encourage biological activity, break residue down and recycle nutrients. I need to get that rye and residual cornstalks to recycle nutrients as quickly as possible.

This year we have a 70/30 corn-soybean mix and the fields are a modified no-till since we ran an aeration unit across most acres. Corn is being planted back into cornstalks and bean stubble, and beans are being planted into cornstalks. Continuous corn acres were treated with a residue digester mix last fall, an aeration tool ran over it and rye was seeded. The seedbeds are excellent and the stalks are really decaying. A neighbor applied 130 pounds of N (as UAN32) earlier this spring on the cornstalks and bean stubble.

During the second week of May, we planted three corn hybrids two Mycogen triple-stack numbers and one SmartStax number. All three are in the 105- to 110-day corn, planted at 30,000 seeds per acre in 30-inch rows using a 12-row John Deere central field planter. All seed is treated with a fungicide and insecticide (low rate of Cruiser) and given an extra dose of Capture insecticide in-furrow to combat any rootworm larvae, especially in the corn-on-corn scenarios. We also applied five gallons of 10-34 with some zinc in-furrow. Later, when glyphosate is applied, we'll add a foliar nutrient and some additional slow-release nitrogen.

During the fourth week in May, soybeans will be planted into cornstalks. The three fields of beans lie on three sides of a series of creeks. One field is hilly and drains fine. Another field has 5 to 8 acres of wet bottom that I already ran the mole plow through and the third field has 10 acres of wet bottom.

But before I can run the mole plow, a construction contractor is coming this week with a dozer to push a 5-foot-tall windrow of soil away from the creek. About 20 years ago, the owner cleaned the creek and left the soil piled in a windrow 10 feet from the creek bank. That windrow serves as a natural berm and prevents drainage. So it is time to move it away and then put in drainage channels.

I figure that 10 acres of wet bottom has a 60% yield lost, so at 50-bushel beans that equals a loss of 300 bushels or $3,750 (at $12.50 cash beans). Hiring a dozer will cost me about $1,250 for the day and my return will be 200% or $2,500 ($3750 - $1250). This is a no-brainer decision.

Cornstalks will be sprayed with a residue digester mix of three gallons of 32 percent, 2 gallons of ammonium thiosulfate, and 2 quarts of Z-Hume and 1 quart of molasses per acre. I want to get those stalks to break down and recycle the nutrients quickly to feed the soybean crop. Two varieties of Roundup Ready Mycogen seed will be planted at 140,000 seeds per acre in 30-inch rows. Seed was treated with Cruiser Maxx, Tag Team and Optimize 400. Two gallons of 6-24-6 starter will go in-furrow.

Then I have a comprehensive foliar program planned that will cost $25 to $30 per acre for product, or only 2 bushels. That program is all about producing, keeping and filling pods while alleviating stress. From BRT Ag and Turf, we apply one quart of Defender G4 with the first post Roundup pass, two quarts of SeedSet at R1/R2 growth stage, two quarts of SeedSet plus one quart of Rondo at R3/R4 and 2 quarts of Rondo and 1 gallon of KQRN slow-release nitrogen (28%) at R5/R6.

While my foliar program will produce and feed pods, I also need to alleviate heat and drought stress that occurs over summer. I am applying an experimental product G3 that will do just that. The plan is to leave an untreated check, apply it to a block at R1/R2, a block at R4/R5, and combined R1/R2+R4/R5 on another block. The objective is simple; keep the plant's photosynthesis mechanism functioning and producing sugar when the plant is experiencing stress.

In 2009, I made three foliar applications and hit 65 bushels for beans planted May 28. Last year, I made two foliar applications and it did not rain from August 10 to September 10 and we still broke 55 bushels and beans were planted May 24. My expectations this year are to plant earlier (won't make it now) and hit 75 bushels. Of course, weather will affect the outcome.

So the crop plan is in place and being implemented. I will keep you posted on how things progress and what I learn. Some of the greatest learning comes from walking your fields and asking questions.

Daniel Davidson can be reached at daniel.davidson@telventdtn.com

(KL)

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