Are you sure your crop fields are compacted?

One local grower invested in a soil compaction meter and called me describing what he found in his fields. He described an eye opening experience. The no-till was only compacted mostly in the top three to four inches of soil. Where he ran a grain cart and combine, the compaction was about six inches deep.

He asked, "Will freezing and thawing eliminate the compaction this winter?" Typically, in our local area, frost will extend past six inches, so yes.

He decided not to conduct any fall tillage. He farms using no-till and use of no-till has developed good soil structure. The improved soil structure is able to reduce the effect of equipment compacting soils compared to that of a tilled soil.

A soil probe also can be used to measure compaction. This spring, an area grower called me and wanted to check compaction. I went to field where his father was running a ripper. I pushed the probe into the ground easily and asked why he was tilling.

Next, we went to an adjacent field and checked the field entrance where all equipment and grain hauling and there was compaction there and deep. The soil probe pushed hard into the soil then broke through the compacted area and went easily into the soil.

We moved away from the field entrance into the field and checked there. No compaction again. Quite a savings of fuel and time as the grower and his father decided not to rip any more fields. Each used the soil probe to check for themselves.

This year, the good weather has allowed us time to complete tasks that normally we did not have time for. If you are thinking about fall tillage, try a soil probe and measure the amount of compaction and depth. You may be surprised.

For more information, contact Wayne Flanary at 660-446-3724 or Heather Benedict at 660-425-6434, Regional Agronomists, University of Missouri Extension.