In the Des Moines area, Doug Carter and his family started trying no-till about fifteen years ago on everything except corn-on-corn acres. While it provided some cost savings, it did take a change in practices and machinery.
When you make the switch to no-till, you’ve got to be prepared for less-than-perfect seed bed conditions including residue. Additionally, what you do at harvest becomes more important at planting.
Residue management starts in the combine.
“You actually might not need a chopping head on combines anymore,” says Jodi Dejong Hughes, regional Extension educator at the University of Minnesota. “You want to leave stalks as tall as you can, especially on things with thick stalks like corn. It helps avoid a big mat of residue in the spring.”
Raise the header up if you have a chopping head. If you can get it to at least 10” that will be especially helpful at planting, she adds.
You’re also going to want to make sure the chaff is evenly distributed behind the combine – tune up the machine as needed. Older combines or any with a lot of wear could have uneven distribution and it’s harder for the planter to get through uneven residue. There are some after-market options for residue spreading.
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Planter adjustments
No-till presents a host of new opportunities and new challenges. Consider planter attachments to make sure you don’t get bit the first year.
“We originally did no-till with our existing planter and attachments,” Carter explains. “We saw hair pinning-type issues when using just double disc openers on the regular planter. The magic piece of equipment that moved that residue so we could get good seed placement was trash whippers.”
Corn is a little more sensitive to planting conditions and is likely the crop you need to watch when it comes to no-till, he adds. Soybeans are a little more forgiving and might let you sneak by without residue movers.
“That first year without trash movers I was disappointed in the stands,” Carter says. “It was really discouraging right off the bat. With soybeans though, they kind of compensated for lower stands.”
It’s especially important in cooler climates to get residue moved off the seedbed so seed can achieve good seed-to-soil contact. So, farmers up north should at least consider some sort of residue managers and specialized closing wheel to maximize success at no-till.
“Starter fertilizer in corn can also be helpful,” Dejong-Hughes says. “With no-till fertilizers will be on the surface because it’s not incorporated, so adding pop-up or starter attachments will place fertilizer in the root zone. Around here most guys put five- to seven-gallons of 10-34-0, that typically meets their needs until side dress.”
She’s also seen farmers use the finger or shark tooth shaped closing wheels on one side and the rubber or cast wheel on the other side for better closing with no-till.
Net benefit
No-till isn’t necessarily a zero-cost option, but it can reduce overall costs in time.
“You might have to buy additional planter or combine attachments, but it will pay off,” says Dejong-Hughes. “In not only improves environmental and economic benefits but you’ll only need the combine and the planter, and you can invest more in those two pieces to maximize their benefit, too.”
You can save money on not only the tillage tool itself, but also fuel, maintenance and even in horsepower needs. If you don’t have to pull a deep tillage tool, you might be able to have a lower horsepower, less expensive tractor.
Tips for success
Like many new practices, there will be good and bad years with no-till. Here are a few tips from Carter to help get started on the right foot:
Don’t just put no-till on marginal acres. Focus on erodible soils but remember poor soils tend to have poor yields, so don’t just blame no-till.
Consider what soils need better water holding capacity. Carter saw a marked difference in no-till acres versus tilled acres during drought conditions in 2020.
Be patient. No-till acres take a little longer to get planted because the soil tends to stay colder and wetter.
Get residue under control so you have good seed-to-soil contact. This might mean spending $500-or-so per row on planter attachments.
No till could help save time and eventually money, but don’t go into it without a plan. Talk to your neighbors and local extension to see what the best plan is to set your fields up for success.
