Andy Thompson, a part-time farmer and regional sales manager for Yetter Manufacturing Company, kept a photo journal of residue breakdown in his cornfield near Niota, in west-central Illinois. The field has been in continuous corn since 2012. This series of photos shows how, in a single season, microbes in healthy soil break down large amounts of corn residue left on the surface.

Photos courtesy of Andy Thompson.

Read more about the breakdown of corn residue in continuous-corn crop systems.