Crops - The Lynch File: Ontario’s silent revolution in tillage

More growers are doing more tillage of corn stalks before they plant soys, partly because of the change in headers. They want to avoid no-tilling soys into a mat of corn trash

by PAT LYNCH

Over the last couple of years, tillage in Ontario has gone through a quick and silent change. There was no big announcement about it.

These days, more growers are doing more tillage of corn stalks before they plant soys. Part of this is a result of the change in corn headers. The newer headers are chopping stalks more than the older headers. And some of the newer combines are equipped with stalk choppers. This header change has resulted from growers wanting to plow shallower. But it also affects no-till soys.

Better Farming - February 2010