Residue spreading. Is your crop residue spread evenly along the entire width of the header? Uneven or windrowed material means you will have thick blankets or bare spots, especially in soybeans. These inconsistent conditions make planting more challenging, no matter what tillage or planting system you use, but especially for reduced tillage and no-till. Plus, uneven residue spreading can tie up nutrients and impact herbicide applications. If utilizing cover crops, uneven spread can cause issues with emergence and establishment. Bare or thin spots also are more prone to soil erosion.   

Fall tillage. Is it “needed?” What purpose does fall tillage serve? If you want to or need to cut expenses, reduce fuel, equipment and labor costs by making fewer trips across the field. Less tillage also reduces the potential of soil compaction and will minimize erosion of your precious topsoil.

Soil compaction. If possible, try not to drive over the entire field, but confine traffic to one area or wheel track. Reducing soil compaction during harvest equals less water-ponding and root-stunting issues next year. Avoid the temptation to address soil compaction with more steel. Planting a groundbreaking cover crop mix, such as oats and daikon radish, can help alleviate soil compaction caused during harvest. Your soybean taproot also might be alleviating some soil compaction in the following corn crop. 

Soil sampling. Post-harvest is an ideal time to take soil samples. Fall sampling gives you more time to plan your nutrient application program for next year’s crop. While fall and early winter are great times to address lime and potash needs, the goal is to apply nitrogen and phosphorus as close as possible to next year’s crop to improve nutrient-use efficiency and reduce losses.

Weed control. Identify weed “hot spots” from this year and diagnose why those weeds were present. Proper identification is key. Pay attention to weed populations on field edges and where crops were thin during harvest. Be sure to clean out the combine prior to the next field, especially after fields with high weed populations or herbicide-resistant weeds. You also might consider exploring a high biomass cover crop, such as cereal rye, in your weed-control management program. 

Cover crops. Your cover crop should already be ordered and sitting in the shed waiting for planting. If already seeded, hopefully moisture has been adequate to get them up and going. If you have irrigation, one pass might germinate or add enough growth to pay for itself. Usually, the earlier they are seeded, the more growth and benefits will accrue.

Next year’s plans. Have you been thinking about leaving more residue, switching to strip-till or no-till corn, adding a cover crop or establishing a grassed waterway or filter strip but you haven’t made the leap yet? Use combine time to plan and talk to your local contacts and advisers to develop a strategy. Successfully implementing conservation and building healthy soil on your farm takes time, commitment and planning. It all starts at harvest.