Combine Settings for Variable Crop Conditions

Although generally good, corn and soybean crops are quite variable across Iowa as harvest season approaches. Spotty rainfall, in many cases too little but in a few cases too much, along with sandy or clay soil spots, and temperature extremes or storms have resulted in varying ear, and bean pod and stalk sizes, both among nearby fields and in some cases within fields or even individual rows. Such variations put a premium on combine adjustment this fall

Tillage Equipment Adjustment for Surface Residue

Crop producers are increasingly interested in methods to manage higher levels of surface residue. Both economics and soil conservation are responsible for this attention. Six million additional Iowa acres will be shifted to a conservation tillage system during 1992-94 to comply with soil loss goals of the Food Security Act according to plans filed with the Soil Conservation Service. From a production cost viewpoint, fewer machine operations on the land lower input costs and increase net profit if output can be maintained