By Darren Hefty
If you have some ground that’s been in CRP for many years and will get a crop planted on it in 2013, you can have success. It won’t be the same as managing your land that’s been farmed every year, though. Here are a few things to consider as you bring your CRP back into production.
ORGANIC MATTER
One big advantage you have with CRP ground is that you have steadily built your organic matter levels over the years in the program. By eliminating tillage and growing perennial plants with extensive root systems, you’ve done some great things for your soil. Don’t reverse all that gain as you make the ground farmable again! If you need some tillage to level out some rodent damage or to manage all the above ground plant residue, keep it to a minimum. Also, if you burn the residue off, you are letting hundreds of dollars of nutrients go up in smoke. Each situation is unique, so speak with a good agronomist for suggestions if you see no other option than heavy tillage or burning.
WEED CONTROL
When it comes to weed control, the crop you choose to plant makes all the difference in the world. If your CRP consisted of perennial grasses, don’t plant a grass crop where weed control will be more difficult. The same rule applies if you had perennial broadleaves in your CRP. Don’t plant a broadleaf crop if you’re concerned with controlling these types of weeds. Your best bet in many cases will be Roundup Ready soybeans. Of all the Roundup Ready crops, you can likely spray the highest rate of Roundup in-crop with soybeans. While you’d ideally like to kill all the CRP vegetation with a strong burndown containing Roundup (with fall being the preferred timing), you have to assume that the control will be less than 100% and leave yourself a great option to spray after the crop is up.
INSECTS
Whenever you’re coming out of a perennial crop or especially CRP, you must expect to have more insect pressure than you’re used to. Think about it. When’s the last time you’ve sprayed for bugs on this ground? It may be 20 years or more. Think about if you didn’t spray for weeds for 20 years. The pressure would be tremendous. Insect pressure works about the same way. The other challenge is that you may have some really tough insects to control, such as white grubs. If you plant corn, I’d recommend using a strong rate of a seed treatment insecticide PLUS a full rate of a planting time insecticide like Force, Aztec, or Capture LFR. In soybeans, using a strong rate of seed treatment insecticide is the first step. Then post-emerge (in any crop), be prepared to spray for insects early to deal with whatever bugs are left or are not otherwise controlled by your first shot at them.
FERTILITY
Your increased level of organic matter is going to pay off starting this year. Each percent of organic matter in the soil gives a free release of approximately:
- 20-30 pounds per acre of Nitrogen
- 4-7 pounds per acre of Phosphorus
- 2-3 pounds per acre of Sulfur
If you’re now up to 5 percent, 6 percent or even more organic matter, this is a huge deal for you. This is why I started the article with the organic matter talk. It’s critical to your long-term success.
This year, though, there will be some challenges. With all the organic material on the surface of the soil, it is likely very high in Carbon and low in Nitrogen. Also you may have a pretty thick layer of sod with massive root systems in the top 4 inches or so of soil. By injecting your nitrogen at 6 inches or deeper, you can avoid much of the tie-up of nitrogen you would experience broadcasting your fertilizer on top of the soil. With soybeans, you will need to double inoculate the seed to help build the amount of rhizobia bacteria to help the beans produce much of their own nitrogen. You’ll still need to apply some more, perhaps in the range of 50 pounds per acre, for this year’s soybean crop. With corn, going into CRP requires even more nitrogen year one than continuous corn in year two. I’d apply 50 to preferably 100 extra pounds of nitrogen in addition to your normal fertility program. Don’t skimp on the Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfur, and micros either. Soil testing will tell you how much you need of each of these nutrients.
SUMMARY
Your CRP ground offers some big advantages, most notably a higher level of organic matter and improvement in soil structure. Plan for success with your first crop in this ground in 2013. Fertilize appropriately and manage pests to maximize your production and profitability.