Schuchardt Farms Rye Crimping Field Day: Winter Rye & Planting Soybeans
A field day at Schuchardt Farms comparing two ways to terminate a winter rye cover crop before organic soybeans: plowing it down versus roller-crimping and planting directly into the rye.
In this video:
• Seeding ND Gardner winter rye (Albert Lea Seed) at 117 lbs/acre, drilled November 16
• Why the field must be disced and harrowed to a smooth seedbed if you plan to crimp
• Mowing and mulching shoulder-high rye in full anthesis, then plowing it down on May 28
• Estimating biomass: roughly 1,000 lbs of material per 10 inches of rye height (about 7,500 lbs/acre here)
• Rye roots reaching 18–24 inches deep • Crimping with a 20-foot I&J roller crimper applying about 4,500 lbs total (225 lbs per foot) • Why the crew switched to drilling soybeans into the standing rye before crimping, and why crimping works better during the day than at night
• Soybeans planted at about 230,000 seeds/acre, emerging through the rye mat in about 10 days
• Side-by-side comparison with a conventionally tilled field through June 30 and July 5
Farmers in transition can find scheduled extension field days on the UNL Extension website.
Funding for this video was provided by the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). Produced by Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) Nebraska chapter members.