Challenging Harvest Taking Toll On Farm Equipment

Nov 04, 2019

Farm machinery is being put to the test this year as harvest continues to drag on into November.

Ryan Wiebe is the service manager at Green Valley Equipment (John Deere) in Altona.

He had some advice for producers.

"Keep fuel conditioner in your tanks. Nobody wants to gel up when it gets cold, and if you have summer fuel in there, that's a possibility."

Wiebe says they've been hearing about issues with tracks clogging up with mud.

"We have found that using a sprayer winterizer to spray it down helps thaw the frozen mud and ice out of there. That's been working well. If at all possible, clean it out as frequently as possible before it freezes up, while it's still softer."

Wiebe recommends storing machinery inside overnight if possible to help with startup in the morning. Another piece of advice is to store fire extinguishers inside overnight or in the cab to make sure they work if needed.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.