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Value Of Burnt Corn Stalks
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Ben D, N CA
Posted 10/31/2014 11:04 (#4153670 - in reply to #4153639)
Subject: RE: But that's the NAT way 5 lock



Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot
Five Lock Boll - 10/31/2014 07:44

I never said burning was great. My argument is that it's certainly not the faux pas some try to make it out to be, and I think it's over the line to call someone a poor steward or lazy if they choose to burn something. And for the OP, I was just making the point that enough good farmers burn intentionally that I see no reason to get worked up over a few acres getting burned accidentally. May be interesting to see how it does.
This is a big ol' country, with a lot of diversity in how things are done. It's incredibly narrow minded to criticize another farmer's methods.


I would agree that it isn't that big of a deal. People are blowing this way out of proportion. I would challenge anyone to find a difference in two years between the burned portion, and the unburned portion in a soil test.

Some of the best ground here in the valley has been in a potato/grain rotation as long as I can remember. Which means the straw is burned every year, and it is under sort of a maximum tillage regiment. The organic matter is comparable to any other soils in the area, long term. Counting current crop residue as "organic matter" is not a true measurement, but it skews most tests. I rarely burn stubble, but I'd trade acre for acre for any of the local ground that has always been burned. I used to pull soil tests on ground all over the valley, and that ground that has been so horribly "abused" by burning and tillage, has an organic matter of 8-10%, no matter the rotation or who farms it. I don't buy the idea that ANY practice done for one year is going significantly change the soil long term. Anyone who thinks they can has never tried to permanently improve a alkali flat.

There is 3,615,103 pounds of soil in an acre, one foot deep. Can you honestly tell me you think burning a couple of tons of residue (that would have probably decomposed to 2% of its weight) is actually going to cause a problem in that three million pounds of soil? Or at least enough of an issue to start a war with the neighbors about? No way. No wonder agriculture has such a PR problem. Those neighbors vote, you know.
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