Size residue. Find ways to size residue that work well for you and will break up residue right at the combine. Gauck suggests using a chopping head or adding a chopper to your combine head. “In a corn-after-corn rotation, we’ve seen almost a 14-bushel advantage to sizing that residue with a chopping head,” Gauck says. “And we’ve seen about a two- to three-bushel advantage for soybeans the next year.” If you don’t have the option to add a chopping head, Gauck recommends mounting a stalk devastator under your head. This will just roll over the top of the residue and crimp it. Those can add a six-bushel advantage in a corn-after-corn rotation.

Apply a biological. Biological products can help speed up the decomposition process. You can apply them directly over residue after harvest. “What’s cool about those is, in the spring, you can go out and find stalks and residue, and they’re hollow,” Gauck says. “It’s taken all the pith out. Those microbes have been working, feeding, taking all that out. And they release those nutrients back into the soil, making that residue light.” While this method does require an additional pass through the field, it could help to promote slug control in the next growing season by reducing dark, damp places for them to thrive.

Hit it with a vertical till machine. A fall pass with the vertical till machine will further break up the residue without interfering too much with the soil. “It’s not something that’s necessarily aggressive or moves a lot of dirt, but it has that cutting ability,” Gauck says. He adds that the conditions need to be dry for this to work the best, and it is only efficient if you have the added labor to make that pass.

Break out the Bush Hog. Gauck shares that you can opt for your Bush Hog or another rotary mower if you don’t have a vertical till machine. This method works for breaking up the residue, but it also may leave a wet mat behind.