by Kapil Arora and Mehari Tekeste

Moisture availability, rainfall timing and fertilizer use under favorable weather conditions can mask effects of soil compaction.  Under unfavorable weather conditions, though, yield loss has been reported to be as high as 10% to 20%.

Soil compaction that results from farm machinery, field traffic and ways to minimize and mitigate compaction that’s already occurred is the topic for the field day slated for Iowa State University on Nov. 15.

The field day starts with check-in at 10 a.m. at the Field Extension Education Laboratory, 1928 240th St., Boone. The program starts at 10:30 a.m. In case of inclement weather, the field day will be held at the same time on Nov. 22.

In the afternoon, demonstrations of field equipment, including tractors, will be held at the field adjacent to the Soil Machine Dynamics Laboratory. Equipment will be driven over a specially constructed soil “lasagna” to demonstrate the amount of compaction caused by different tires and tire inflation pressures, says Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer with ISU Extension and Outreach. Soil pressure sensors, buried at different depths, will also be used to measure tire inflation pressure response.

A complimentary lunch sponsored by the Iowa Corn Growers Association will be served at noon to all registered participants. Registration is limited to 50 participants and is required for this event. The field day is being held in collaboration with AgriBrink, CNH Industrial and Elder Corp.

Register online by Nov. 11.

You can also register by calling the ISU Extension and Outreach Boone County office at 515-432-3882, or by email at [email protected]. Questions regarding the program can be directed to Kapil Arora at 515-291-0174 or Mehari Tekeste, ISU associate professor, at 515-294-2464.

A shareable flyer with details about the field day is available online.

Arora is an ISU Extension agricultural and biosystems engineering specialist. Tekeste is an associate professor in the ISU agricultural and biosystems engineering department.