Soil Specialist Is Encouraging Producers To Leave Tall Stubble When Harvesting

Aug 31, 2017

This year’s dry conditions really tapped sub-soil moisture reserves on crop land this year.

Leaving tall stubble behind when straight cut combining can help trap snow for extra soil moisture and improve water use efficiency by up to 16%.

Ken Panchuk says leaving tall stubble is part of good soil conservation practices and can be a real benefit when seeding fall rye or winter wheat.

"Giving them that protection they need during the winter and collecting that snow and using it as an insulation blanket," he said.

Research has shown that early harvested and tall stubble from canola or flax crops can make excellent fields for establishing winter cereals.

He says a lot of producers are implementing these kinds of soil conservation practices.

Source : Discoverestevan

Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.