Tips for No-tilling Corn on Corn

When no-tilling corn on corn

General things to consider

Realize that crop rotation reduced many pest and disease problems, increased soil biological activity and diversity, spread the workload and production risks and generally improved yields. When no-tilling in a mono-crop system, the residue increases some problems and a few new problems will appear without rotation to keep them in check. (See an upcoming issue of CropWatch for pest and disease management tips.)

Do a careful market and production analysis. Are the prices worth the higher production expenses, increased risks, and lower yields inherent with a monoculture? (See UNL Spreadsheet Helps You Decide: Continuous Corn or Corn-Soybean Rotation in this week's CropWatch.) When increasing your corn on corn acres, be sure to include any timeliness costs incurred as your workload gets more concentrated and operations may be conducted later than they should be. Will the concentration change your seasonal labor demands?

Determine whether you have adequate machinery and labor capacity for more corn acres. Do you have enough sprayer and planter capacity to grow the crop and enough combine and storage capacity to harvest the crop properly? Likewise, if you irrigate, do you have enough irrigation water available at the right time for the increased water needs of corn? Rotations allow smaller equipment and fewer people to be cover more acres, using the equipment and people over a longer period of time.

To aid soil drying and warming, consider strip-till on poorly drained soils. However, to be successful, strip-tilling should be done in the fall and this may not be an option for this season. Tillage does dry the soil, allowing warming for quicker early growth but water will be lost. Ask yourself if the investment in strip-till equipment for continuous corn and the stripping operation itself is justified if you can get equal returns with continuous no-till and more diverse rotations. Also, will the current high corn prices continue long enough to justify the purchase of strip-till equipment and the horsepower to pull it or should you hire the stripping done?

Consider ridge-till to provide a warmer, drier environment for planting corn on corn, providing good early growth. Producers have been raising continuous corn for years in Nebraska using the ridge-till system. By no-tilling on top of the ridge, cultivation and ridging expenses are reduced because not as much soil has to be moved back to the ridge. Also, the cultivation reduces some of the potential weed problems that may develop in monocropping.

Paul Jasa
Extension Engineer, Lincoln

March 16, 2007

New Series

With the current corn prices, many producers are considering no-till planting corn on corn; however, crop rotation is one of the best management practices to reduce many of the problems in monoculture farming and a key component for successful no-till.

Many of the problems that Nebraskan farmers have faced for years — such as nitrate leaching to the groundwater, atrazine in runoff, corn rootworm management, nitrogen response for corn and generally lower yields in mono-crop systems — are greatly reduced with properly managed crop rotations. In addition, using continuous no-till with a systems approach greatly reduces many other problems often typical of tilled soils such as crusting, poor infiltration, runoff, erosion, compaction and poor soil health.

Even considering all the benefits of rotation, there will be producers no-tilling corn on corn. Producers know that tillage can be a great equalizer to reduce many of the problems with mono-crops and that no-till corn on corn can be challenging, if not properly managed. Rather than give up the benefits of no-till, these producers can improve their management to make no-till corn on corn less risky.

This issue of CropWatch contains the first article in a series on critical points to consider before no-tilling continuous corn and should help make no-till corn on corn more successful. In upcoming issues, several University disciplines will contribute articles with tips on pest and disease management, residue management, nutrient management, planting considerations, insurance and farm programs and other points to consider before no-tilling corn on corn.

Paul Jasa
Extension Engineer, Lincoln

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