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Driftless SW Wisconsin | Brian,
Thanks for adding the qualifier.
We have been doing several weeks of demos and shows in the NW corn belt. Corn on corn will be much more common in the very near future.
Did anyone happen catch Doug Jackson's comments on corn on last Friday's Iowa Public Broadcasting's Market to Market Show??? Wow. (= I agree with him) I even downloaded their pod cast but unfortunately they did not include his "explosive" corn comments on the pod cast....
I agree with Brian that in the NW/ethanol corn belt that you should make a strip till pass in the fall just to open the soil up. Also take a look at two photos I just posted on the crop talk board under the roundup discussion. In that type residue you want to have a bit of a black strip open to warm and dry in the spring.
West Illini's idea of pulling a mole knife thru in the fall is one alternative especially in an anhydrous economy area. However a 12 row mole knife bar into compacted ground behind a standard harvesting system (= combine and cart tires between the current rows and in smack in the middle of your new fall rows...) is going to require a LOT of HP. Most successful corn on corn strip tillers work on staying out of the middles - space large single combine tires to run on the just-harvested rows.
Successful corn on corn strip tilling starts in the fall at combine time just under the feederhouse. It has to be a complete system. Running 1000 bu grain carts (= 50,000+lb axle loads) will get you put in jail if you run on a concrete highway. Why do we expect to then go in and make a nice seed bed without massive amounts of iron??? You wouldn't drive your pickup over the wife's garden would you?? You need to think about controlling combine and cart traffic in the field.
Drive on the old stalks, not where you will be planting your next crop.
Using our Dawn units in the fall just to blacken a strip, most don't put down any fertilizer in the fall to avoid nursing a tank etc, just run behind the combine.
In the spring come in again between the rows and dress it up and put down your fertilizer and plant. I don't mean to say that it is easy but it can be made to work. Sometimes that is a multi year transition process also.
We will also work with whomever buys Brian's row units to help you be successful. To date all of the units that have changed hands that I am aware of have found a "good home"
Here is a picture of fall "just give me a black strip" strips in central MN heavy 30" corn. The combine is just out of the picture.
Also here is a picture of spring corn on corn in NE Iowa for comparison.
You can go in with a heavier, deeper shank tool (we just work about 5" deep) when and if necessary. However if you get the whole system going you may not need to do any deeper tillage every year. If you have a compaction problem, rip it in the fall then clean it up in the spring.
Farther south (KY) maybe just pure no till corn on corn will work for you. However even there I think there will be timers when a couple of hours between the row cleaner and the planter will leave a much better place to plant.
The further north you are and the heavier your soils the more it may help to do a fall strip till pass in corn on corn. However, there will be some years when you can't get it all done in the fall. Our unit can be run in the spring just ahead of the planter.
But it is not easy. It is not for everyone. Yes, corn on corn strip till can be made to work. jmho.
Jim at Dawn
For those "looking at strip till" generally I think you will find that the strip till rig, no matter whose or what type you choose, needs to be the same width/ number of rows as the planter. Just make sure you know about how much HP per row your strip till rig is going to require and do you have the tractor HP to pull it at efficient speeds.
Edited by Jim 8/7/2006 16:57
 (Dawn Strip till 10-21-04 striptill C MN corn on corn hat.JPG)
 (Dawn Striptill Fargo ND_0438 4-2-05.jpg)
 (Dawn Striptill Corn on Corn E IA 4-17-05 hp078 cust photo strips being made.jpg)
 (Dawn Striptill Corn on Corn E IA 5-8-05 hp095 first corn emerges.jpg)
Attachments
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 Dawn Strip till 10-21-04 striptill C MN corn on corn hat.JPG (64KB - 190 downloads)
Dawn Striptill Fargo ND_0438 4-2-05.jpg (93KB - 176 downloads)
Dawn Striptill Corn on Corn E IA 4-17-05 hp078 cust photo strips being made.jpg (68KB - 192 downloads)
Dawn Striptill Corn on Corn E IA 5-8-05 hp095 first corn emerges.jpg (87KB - 182 downloads)
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Looking at Strip Tillage
