Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
Page 47
Page 48
Page 49
Page 50
Page 51
Page 52
Page 53
Page 54
Page 55
Page 56
Page 57
Page 58
Page 59
Page 60
31SUMMER 2015 SPUDSMART.COM Goff says hes pretty much gone to 100 per cent cover cropping after our potato crop because of the sandy soils on his farm. In our area we have a lot of problems with sand blowing and losing our topsoil. Weve found the most effective way to deal with that is to broadcast some fall rye right after we dig potatoes and then do a very light double disking just to knock down the potato hills. We then go and plant right into that the next year says Goff. Cover crops can also add valuable organic material and associated nutrients to the soil but on Goffs farm its not so much to build up organic matter its more about controlling soil erosion he says. CONTROLLING COMPACTION Another common soil-related headache for growers is compaction. Harvesting potatoes requires a lot of heavy equipment and massive machinery that can really tramp down the soil particularly in parts of the field that are prone to compaction such as wet spots and heavy traffic areas. Especially after potatoes I think one of the biggest issues that weve got is compaction. Its often something we dont necessarily understand very well but its huge says Leclerc. It creates some issues in the following year and compaction is also additive with time. If youre not able to remove that compaction youre creating issues with drainage of course. With drainage problems come poor root growth and poor plant development and greater risk of diseases he adds. Reducing compaction Leclerc notes is largely about traffic control. At harvest you should try to minimize as much as possible traffic that you create make it as site-specific as possible and then go back afterwards and remove that compaction he says. Pryor endorses deep ripping as a way to break up compacted soil even on potato farms with sandier soils. People think with sandy soil water just goes through but there are depression areas in sandy soils where water collects. These areas become severely compacted because of water laying and ponding so theres definitely a benefit to deep ripping sand as well he says. POST-HARVEST TILLAGE Pryor believes post-harvest tillage is generally a good management practice for getting fields ready for the following years crop. The most important step I would say is to improve the structure of the soil to break up any compacted areas to allow for good rooting of the crop in the future year he says. I recommend deep ripping in any field thats going into potatoes. So if its going to be potatoes in 2016 I would be deep ripping it in the fall of 2015 Pryor says. Growers can rip anywhere from 12 inches down to about 18 inches and it basically shatters any of the hard pan Pryor adds noting that deep ripping can also help build a better seed bed has more tilth to it and enables better rooting of the plants. It also helps address the critical issue of soil erosion. You want to be able to change that internal structure of the soil in that top plough layer but still maintain cover in way that eliminates the risk of soil erosion he says adding that the growers decision on which implement to use is often linked to how susceptible a field is to erosion. It depends on what the soil type is what their experience is with soil erosion and what theyre trying to accomplish Pryor says. There are implements out there that will rip down 18 to 20 inches and totally leave your stubble standing. There are other implements that have a little more surface action and will knock down some Corn emerging at the Corduroy Plains Ltd. farm in Carman Man. this spring. This field was planted with a fall rye cover crop following last years potato harvest to help prevent erosion over the winter. PHOTO JOHN GOFF. If you can maintain your soil especially in areas that are prone to water or wind erosion thats very critical. YVES LECLERC