Remember conservation plans when managing crops

With the arrival of harvest season, many Iowa farmers are not anticipating high yields due to hail and wind damage, but are considering how to best manage crops damaged by late summer storm events.

?These producers are questioning how to handle planting next spring and concerns about volunteer corn,? said Marty Adkins, state resource conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. ?They are also faced with the challenge of maintaining compliance with their conservation plans.?

According to Adkins, many producers are inquiring about variances that might allow them to till ground with damaged corn or soybeans that can?t be harvested. No variances have been granted.

?NRCS recommends that if your conservation compliance plan calls for no-till, you should look for other ways to manage the residue that does not disturb the soil. No-till and especially long term no-till offers excellent protection from soil erosion next year. Tillage will set back the protection. If your plan allows tillage, you should consider waiting until spring,? he said. Keeping the ground covered throughout the fall and winter will help reduce erosion risks. It will also allow time for decomposition.

Other options would include using a stalk chopper or opening the ground for grazing.

?Sit back for a while. With the right soil temperatures and rainfall much of the corn on the ground will germinate before the hard frost, helping to eliminate the concern over volunteer corn next year? said Mark Hanna, Iowa State Extension agricultural engineer.