reconditioning a corn field

[Andy Carson]

I talked to a neighbor and have access to a 5 acre corn field for practically free. It’s a hard offer to pass up. The field has been in continuous corn for several years. Growing one crop year after year is really opposite of just about everything I believe in agriculture wise… I am tempted to plant alfalfa and let the ground recover tilth and nitrogen over several years. I am not sure I have four years of patience at this point in my farming life, and am trying not get into hay production. I have also been thinking about planting a green manure (like field peas and rye) and spreading as much horse manure as I can over the field in the comming year. Next year, I would just plow it all under and start with other crops. I’m not sure how much this will help… Any thoughts?

[goodcompanion]

I have some pretty tired fields and here is my program for this year for what it’s worth. Three successive plantings of buckwheat in one season, planted in May, June, and July, followed by a September planting of winter wheat. Each crop of buckwheat would be tilled under after a month. That is a lot of tillage but it is also a lot of weeds sprouted and subsequently killed and a lot of green matter returned to the soil in a single season.

[Andy Carson]

Thanks Erik, this sounds like a good plan. I am thinking I will try to do the plowing myself. It is alot of plowing, but I can divide this into chunks and take all year to do it. Either way, it will be good experience and we ought to be plowing champions at the end of this year!!! I’m not sure I will be able to do 3 successive plantings with one horse by myself, but I bet 2 plantings will do alot to improve the land even if I can’t make it to 3. Should I not be concerned about the nitrogen? I was thinking of maybe planting rye and field peas over the winter.
-Andy

[mitchmaine]

you might be able, if it was corn last year, to get away without plowing, and disc in your stubble, broadcast your buckwheat, and cover your seed with your disc set straight. one tool for the job. then when you get to your last crop of buckwheat, wait til it blossoms,plow that down, disc it and plant your winter crop. you might want to find out how your neighbor grew his corn. what he used for herbicides and pesticides, if you were curious.

[goodcompanion]

I exactly agree with the above. Why plow early, when it’s the most waterlogged and difficult, when a discing would suffice. We’re not after a pure crop of buckwheat anyway. By mid-May there will be some weeds in that corn stubble, just harrow them dead and plant your buckwheat. As long as the buckwheat generally outcompetes the weeds you are fine.

[Gabe Ayers]

Can you guys grow crimson clover up there? Or how about black eyed peas or cheap soybeans? Maybe put some fast legumes in the restoration process?

~

[ngcmcn]

Andy,

You might want to dig a bit deeper and find out exactly what was sprayed on those field and for how long. Some herbicides and pesticides, have long residuals that may inhibit germination of certain crops, while other crops may not be effected and do better. Check it out.

Neal

[Andy Carson]

I finally figure out for sure what was sprayed on this corn field last year. Bicep II. I googled that this has two active ingredients, S-metolachlor and atrazine. Does this limit my planting options? I’m probably just going with a cover crop/green manure this year to rejuvenate the soil.

[Tim Harrigan]

Find out what rate of atrazine. It can have a long residual but it will depend on the rate. If you treat the five acres as one field with one horse it might get away from you. Think about breaking it up into maybe 5 pieces then think through the work schedule. Jason has a good suggestion for crimson clover, you can plant that soon and let it go until fall and get a good N kick from it. Other crops that would do well seeded in summer are millet, sorghum etc. but they will really jump if the conditions are right so be ready. Also, brassicas like oil seed radish and forage turnips can be planted in early August and will grow into December so that could extend your living cover and take some pressure off fall tillage if that is what you have in mind.

[Andy Carson]

Yes, I will definately be splitting it up into 1 acre plots with crops that have different planting and harvest dates. A couple trips around the field convinced me of that fast! That will be next year, though, this year I just want to focus on letting the land recover and gettign things set up for next year.

[Gabe Ayers]

Black eyed peas are cheap mid season legumes. Mixed with buckwheat and millet will make some organic matter content and soil improvement in a single season. Disk it down early and put winter rye and Austrian field peas behind that.

~

[Andy Carson]

Because of how I want to divide this field in the future, I am discing it in a somewhat different pattern that how it has been plowed in the past. This puts me crossing historical tractor created plow furrows both at the edge of the field and at a diagonal inside the field. The furrows inside the field aren’t that bad (for the most part), but the furrows on the edge are deep and bone jarring to cross. I have gotten dumped off my disc a few times. I can’t think of anything to get rid of them other than discing them over and over, but I am only making margional progress… Any ideas? Similarly, a small piece of the field was plowed this spring by tractor (a neighbors mistake). I kinda welcomed the mistake at first (free plowing) but the furrows inside this area are just as hard to deal with as the edge furrows. I suppose I am not one to talk, but I think the tractor work was a not really straight… Again, I am just trying to disc this area smooth. I suppose that I might be able to plow the edge or some of these furrows, but that would just create a new furrow, right? I am making progress with the disc, but it’s slow and I thought I would see if there was an easier way.

[Tim Harrigan]

You could try loosening the soil with the disk and then build an A frame shaped drag to pull over the top to pull the loose soil into the dead furrow (drag over and parallel to the dead furrow).

[blue80]

Andy:

I’ve been dumped off my disc this spring too….

A few people I’ve talked to highly recommend using a cultimulcher, specifically the Shipshe Farm Supply unit, which is very heavy and works great in heavy soils.

Kevin

[Andy Carson]

I think I’ll try the A frame first, it sounds cheap to make…
Would you think a wooden one would last long enough to do the job?

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