Farm Forum 2020 Harvest Edition Don’t add Soil Compaction to 2020 woes that soil compaction from last year’s wet Ruts from one bad pass harvest could cost Minnesota and North can cut yields by an av- Dakota farmers as much as $1.76 billion between now and the 2021 harvest. They erage of 21% for 2 years published their fndings this summer in Approved by Sources: Alliance Americas Agricultural and Environmental Letters. Compaction Feature, September 9, 2020 As harvest 2020 approaches, DeJong- Hughes points out that farmers can take Soil compaction can cut corn and soybean several steps to minimize compaction, yields by an average of 21% for the next starting with recognizing that there’s two harvests, and the effects of feld traffc a strong chance that felds will be wet can last far longer, according to extension enough to compact under heavy machinery. educators in Minnesota and North Dako- “We usually think fall is dry,” she says, ta. In fact, University of Minnesota Exten- “but it hasn’t been. There’s always rain.” sion educator Jodi DeJong-Hughes notes that USDA-Agricultural Research Service Plan Your Route scientists studied one Waseca, Minnesota, The frst step in minimizing compaction is feld that was harvested wet and suffered reducing feld traffc. Ironically, that often compaction-caused yield losses for 13 means eliminating destructive shortcuts years. The big culprit is deep compaction, on the way to unload. which occurs below the reach of tillage “One thing I see a lot is farmers driving a implements and must recover its structure full grain cart on a diagonal to the feld en- over time. trance to get there faster,” DeJong-Hughes Research shows that 16 to 27% of the points out. “You’re putting 80-percent traffc in a feld exerts enough force on the compaction on the diagonals across that soil to cause deep compaction. Today’s feld. From the road you can’t see it, but massive machinery makes that more likely from the air you can.” than ever, and can signifcantly damage Cutting across the feld to save a few min- yield potential in a single pass across utes can cause years of pain. The smart- the feld. DeJong-Hughes points out that er plan is to run as much machinery as combines and large 4--drive (4WD) possible in your combine tracks, which are tractors represent 20 tons of load per , already compacted, rather than creating a and the largest grain carts—which can be new problem on fresh ground. Farmers in loaded with more than 100,000 pounds of Australia and Europe have perfected the grain—can weigh up to 76 tons per axle. art of “,” isolating compaction “Almost 80 percent of the compaction to narrow lanes rather than damaging happens in the frst pass,” DeJong-Hughes more of the feld. warns. “By the third or fourth pass, you’re “When you load that grain cart, run it in pretty much at 100 percent.” the old combine tracks, then take it to Camron Bullerman says switching to sprayer with a higher load rating In fact, DeJong-Hughes teamed up with the end of the feld and go back along the and lower infation pressure has made a huge difference in compaction in North Dakota State University’s Aaron headlands that are already compacted,” the felds he sprays on his own farm and in his custom application service. Daigh and Umesh Acharya and calculated she suggests. Courtesy photo C16 Farm Forum Harvest Edition Friday, September 18, 2020 Farm Forum 2020 Harvest Edition

Improve Soil Health an additional 3,400 pounds of load capacity On-the-Go Infation “Soil structure is your number-one de- per tire—helpful with the sprayer’s 1,400-gal- Tires that operate at lower infation pressure can fense against soil compaction,” says De- lon tank—and also allowed him to drop his be an outstanding tool for reducing soil compac- Jong-Hughes. “Little aggregates act like infation pressure by about 11 psi. The result tion. But to really get the most from those tires, pillars in the soil. They actually hold up your is that the footprint of each new tire is 40 and to help maximize their service life, it’s best equipment.” square inches larger than the one it replaced. to run them at the optimum infation pressure for “I don’t have the rut problem I did before, or the load and speed at which they are operating. Crop residue, cover crops and roots below the The problem is that most farmers have to infate the sprayer track problem I had before,” he soil also support the weight of equipment, their tires for maximum load and road speeds, said. “In the fall, you used to see the ridges in reduce soil compaction, and speed the infl- which increases compaction when the machinery the crop from compaction, and with Climate tration of water into the soil so felds are ft is running in the feld. for harvest or feldwork, she adds. and UHarvest [yield monitoring systems], you could see it down to the row.” Jodi DeJong-Hughes, University of Minnesota Maintaining soil structure and soil health Extension educator in Willmar, Minnesota, points through reduced tillage or no-till is a power- Bullerman, who farms with his father Mark out that an on-the-go central tire infation system ful long-term solution, DeJong-Hughes notes. and brother Colt, also replaced the tires on (CTIS) allows for a quick adjustment in air pres- For farmers who perform tillage, she recom- the family’s 4WD Case STX430 tractor, swap- sure when loads or speeds change. In minutes, mends reducing the number of tillage passes, ping conventional 710/70R42 radials for a set tractor tires can be defated automatically for reducing the depth and aggressiveness of of IF tires of the same size. The new Alliance better fotation and less compaction when they your tillage, and postponing fall tillage until 372 IF tires were 1.5 inches wider than the reach the feld, then reinfated when they are spring. same-sized tires they replaced, but more ready to hit the road and run faster. important, allowed the Bullermans to reduce The systems, which can cost less than $20,000, Check Your Tires their infation pressure by 20 percent. are a solid investment in protecting yield poten- Your tires are another powerful tool in the “Two pounds is a big deal when you’re only tial by minimizing compaction, she says. fght against soil compaction, noted De- putting 10 psi in there,” notes Bullerman. “Compared to what they paid for the tractor, the Jong-Hughes. Tire infation pressure directly “My dad won’t even drive the other tractor corresponds to the compaction pressure ap- infation system isn’t really that much,” De- when he’s running the digger in the spring— Jong-Hughes says. plied to the soil, so switching from tires that those new tires just foat better over the feld. can run at 36 psi to tires that can carry the It’s still lumpy out there, but you can’t feel Low Wear, High Return same load at 24 psi can have a huge impact it as much. They’re good on the road, too. on compaction. They’ll go 60 miles a day for weeks hauling One of the things Camron Bullerman of Adrian, Switching to a larger tire can often allow you Houle wagons.” Minnesota, noticed about his sprayer tires is how little they have worn over the past four years and to reduce infation pressure, she notes. IF or Dallas Ransom, the Iowa-based Alliance Tire VF tires, with their extra-fexible sidewalls, 20,000 acres. He fgures his 1,400-gallon Miller Americas representative who helped the sprayer, which he outftted with Alliance 356 can carry the same load as a conventional Bullermans specify their tires, sums it up: radial tire at 20 to 40 percent less infation 18.4R46 radials, spends about 40 percent of its “When it comes to compaction, your tires are time on the road. pressure. Even just selecting tires with a your frst line of defense, they’re the most “Usually, you’d see extra wear on the right-hand higher load rating can allow a reduction in cost-effective thing you can do to soften your side because you’re coming back on pavement infation pressure. footprint.” and running half on the shoulder,” Bullerman Four years ago, Camron Bullerman, who DeJong-Hughes agrees, noting that the notes. “But you can’t even see a cup in that bar farms near Adrian, Minnesota, replaced the improvement in yield potential can quickly yet. And we don’t get the squirm like we used to original-equipment 18.4R46 tires on his Mill- deliver a return on investment in a better set on our old tires.” er sprayer with a set of Alliance 356 radials of tires. that are the same size. One of the benefts of Good roading is important to Bullerman, who the new tires is that they have a load rating of “I would encourage them, if they run a lot of farms corn, soybeans and wheat and feeds cattle - 176 rather than the stock tires’ load rating of acres, it would be worth it to upgrade right almost as important as reducing soil compaction 168. The extra strength of the tires provided away,” she says. by being able to lower his infation pressure.

Friday, September 18, 2020 Farm Forum Harvest Edition C17