He Plants Soybeans Into Rye

He Plants Soybeans Into Rye PLANTING EQUIPMENT No-Till & Min-Till 13-1-34 Mike Strohm, West Union, Ill., reduces soybean production costs by 20 to 40% by planting soybeans into a standing rye crop and then mowing the rye to act as a mulch to keep soil moisture in and weeds out. "My no-till soybean yields average 50 to 60 bu. per acre, which is equal to or slightly above my conventional tillage soybean yields," notes Strohm. "At the same time, I've reduced my production costs $20 to $30 per acre." He switched to no-till soy-beans in 1979. In 1985 he took third place in the Illinois no-till soybean yield contest. He won the statewide contest in 1986, and took top honors for his region in 1987. Strohm seeds rye in the fall and then plants soybeans into it when it's about 15 in. tall, along with a starter fertilizer. He mows the rye one to three days after planting. After he mows there's often some regrowth in the rye which he controls by applying low rates of a postemergence grass herbicide. He spot treats any emerging broadleaves with a selective postemergence broadleaf herbicide. "Under this weed control plan, I've held weed control costs to $5 to $15 per acre," notes Strohm. In wet years the rye helps dry out the ground for ideal planting conditions. But in dry years such as 1988, the rye can dry out the ground too much, reducing soybean yields, Strohm discovered. "1988 was a worst case scenario. The rye took a lot of water away from the soybeans, and there were no rains to recharge the soil. If I'd known the dry weather was coming, I'd have killed the foot-tall rye in mid April with a contact herbicide like Gramoxone to reduce water transpiration. That's my plan of attack if we get another dry year." Rye isn't the only cover crop Strohm uses. He plants his corn into hairy vetch. "The hairy vetch fixes nitrogen, allowing me to reduce my fertilizer application rates," . notes Strohm. On both corn and soybeans he works the ground with a deep-chiseling, winged no-till aerator (featured in FARM SHOW's Vol. 10, No. 1). The postemergent tool consists of 5 toolbar-mounted shanks, each with a trash cutting coulter ahead of it. The shanks are so narrow - 5/8-in. wide - that they leave the surface virtually undisturbed when working at depths of 15 in. A 4 1/2-in. wide horizontally-mounted winged knife is mounted just 2 in. up from the bottom of the shank. It's canted at a 30? angle toward the rear so that as it's worked through the field, it lifts the ground 3 to 4 in., creating a suction that draws oxygen down through the slot as it breaks up the hardpan. Contact: Mike Strohm, RR 1, Box 98, West Union, Ill. 62477 (ph 217 279-3687).

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