Originally published 29 May 1996

Dealing With Misplaced Crop Residues

With the recent retreat of spring flood waters many farmers and landowners are finding additional chores such as rebuilding, reseeding, leveling, and debris removal. A specific challenge many discover is the problem of deep deposits of corn or soybean crop residues left against fence rows, drain pipes, or bridge abutments that need to be removed before field work can begin.

A valuable asset to control soil erosion, increase soil tilth, and moderate moisture throughout the summer when spread evenly across a field, crop residues have the potential to harm future yields if not properly handled prior to planting. Excessively thick amounts of residue, whether deposited by flooding, extreme winds, or other phenomenon, affect planter efficiency by interfering with seed depth and placement and slot closure, affect fertility by tying up nutrients (esp. nitrogen), affect herbicides by increasing local organic matter in spray zones, and affect some insect and disease populations by providing additional "food" for certain pests. Producers can reduce many of these problems, however, by taking appropriate prevention and removal steps in their fields.

PREVENTION

1. Avoid combine choppers or attachments designed to reduce residue size at harvest. Although this practice helps to more evenly distribute residues initially, these smaller pieces can very easily be moved by wind or water and cause problems during the next planting season.
2. Spread existing residue as evenly as possible through the use of combine spreader attachments.
3. Avoid mowing or "bush-hogging" standing residue such as corn stalks. This again will leave larger pieces that are difficult for normal forces to move. Standing residue also has the additional benefit of a remaining root system to physically anchor it in place.
4. Establish cover crops to trap residues. Acting as a living net to hold residue in place, crops such as rye, wheat, and especially vetch provide additional benefits such as weed suppression, supplemental nitrogen, moisture regulation and erosion control.

REMOVAL

Even with the best of plans in place, however, piles of residue, especially where flooding has occurred, is a common sight. Simple steps to deal with the inevitable task of removal now that flood waters have subsided include:

1. Don't try to burn large piles of residue, since this is often next to impossible to accomplish. An increased moisture content and large amounts of sediment, especially with deeper piles of flood carried materials, leave a very fire-resistant mixture. Attempts at burning will often only remove the outer most layer of debris and may ignite fence posts or wooden bridge pilings or increase the chances for field fires as drier residues in surrounding fields become ignited. Use of flammable liquids such as diesel fuel, gasoline, or motor oil are usually equally unsuccessful and may contribute to water pollution in nearby ditches or streams.
2. Do physically remove the debris and spread it back onto the fields where it originated. In most cases this means using the old pitchfork to load a box wagon or manure spreader, but it is still one of the only successful ways to remove the problem. This also restores needed cover to prevent additional field erosion.
3. Finally, wait until appropriate field conditions if heavier equipment such as loaders or large machinery must be used. Time is often in short supply, especially in wet springs such as this year's, but attempting to enter fields prematurely can cause compaction or rutting that will require additional steps to correct on down the road.

Return to the the Chat 'n Chew Cafe.

The Corn Growers Guidebook , a WWW resource for corn management systems in Indiana and the eastern CornBelt.

Purdue University Agronomy Extension WWW Home Page.

Purdue Agronomy On-Line! , Purdue's Agronomy Department WWW Home Page.

End of Document