Residue Management

Experienced Bt Corn Growers Demand

It’s a pretty sure bet that you’re experiencing more

“trash” challenges, maybe quite a bit more, than ever

before. There are several reasons for this:

• University studies show lignin content (the “glue-

like” substance that holds plant cells together) of

Bt corn to be 33 to 97 percent higher than in

traditional, non-Bt hybrids. That’s why Bt corn is

harder to work through your machinery than

before.

• Since today’s full-season hybrids and higher

populations contribute to higher trend-line yields,

there’s more residue than ever in your fields.

• Today’s plants frequently show stay-green

characteristics at maturity, thus are tougher to manage.

• Year-to-year yield volatility has increased, and

with it the amount of residue produced, so annual

field operations are less routine and should be

adjusted accordingly.

Over the years, fall tillage has been largely a soil

compaction management tool. Now tillage is becoming

equally important, if not more so, as a crop residue

management tool. This is especially true the farther

north you farm, as residue decomposition is of necessity

assisted by mechanical means.

A 200-bushel corn crop can leave four to six tons of

residue an acre behind your combine. Conservation

compliance goals vary from field to field. However, to

leave approximately two tons or so on the surface at

planting from such a crop you’d have the challenge of

properly sizing, mixing, and decomposing two to four tons

of trash an acre.

Helping you in this task are the millions of microorgan-

isms in every teaspoon of soil. These “bugs”, along with soil

moisture, warm temperature, and residual nitrogen not

utilized by the crop, are ready to work on your crop resi-

due. But, rest assured, the decomposition process is much

slower if you don’t incorporate residues. That’s because

sizing and mixing assist decomposition—90 percent a

biological process.

Nutrients cycled in this manner, in high-yield

environments, build soil organic matter and offset CO2

losses said to be given off by tillage. Another important

factor is timing. Once your combine leaves the field and

your soil testing and fertilization are complete, do yourself

a big favor by immediately tackling the residue. Biological

action ceases at 4°C or 40°F. In high yield continuous corn,

supplemental nitrogen is often applied at 20 pounds

of nitrogen per ton of residue. Dry forms are okay if you

incorporate. Note that you can refine this nitrogen rate

with stalk tests if time and expense permit.

As for tillage depth, keep in mind that there’s no magical

number of inches to go down. This depth should always

be dictated by economics in combination with attention

to encountering or even introducing possible soil

problems related to alkali subsoils, clay-like subsurface

horizons, or inadequate mixing that can lead to nutrient

stratification. Some tillage systems promote ultra-

deep tillage or vertical tillage without addressing how

applied, immobile nutrients are to get to the root zone.

Water benefits are achieved at the expense of nutrient

placement.

According to university research in the Midwest, soil

compaction rarely, if ever, exceeds a 16-inch depth, sprayer

ruts notwithstanding. The thumb-rule is to set the points

to run one-and-a-half inches or so below the detectable

hard pan. Incidentally, today hard pan is caused most

often by traffic rather than by former ground engaging

practices such as moldboard plowing. For maximum

effective corn emergence in the spring, you want the clod

sizes out the back of your fall tillage tool to be six inches

or less on dark prairie soils and slightly less on forest soils.

This output target is sufficient along with the benefits of

overwintering on soil roughness. Larger clods put plants

at risk due to seedbed variability not completely removed

by spring passes that are seen as small wet/dry, cold/

warm, high/low spots.

While trash whippers and other tooling certainly help,

avoid forcing your planter to double unnecessarily as a

seedbed preparation tool, too. Your payoff for achieving

a level, uniform output in both fall and spring operations

will be better germination and stand uniformity, not to

mention potentially faster planter speeds.

straight talk on crop residue management

“Carbon Management In The B Era.”By Dr. Rob Zemenchik, CCA

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Sunflower has a longstanding world-wide reputation for building solid, reliable

disc-based and sweep-based tillage solutions. Some companies have moved

decidedly in the direction of low disc concavity in favor of vertical tillage while somehow

claiming all the benefits of mixing. However, remember that Sunflower tools not only

manage compaction, but also remain fully capable of achieving desired mixing and

incorporation levels regardless of your yields and residue type.

Sunflower tools are designed to operate properly with a wide “window” of capability

between four-and-a-half and six-and-a-half miles an hour. All Sunflower tools you use

feature a wide range of built-in adjustability, with top-notch dealer support to satisfy

you year-in, year-out. To sum up, choose the best solution after combining your local

experience with the latest scientific discoveries—and a willingness to modify your

management while your seed choices and other factors continue to change.

Discing crop residue into the top few inches of the soil will facilitate the decomposition process. Ample oxygen and warmer soil

temperatures near the soil surface promotes decay just as it will cause an untreated fence post to rot at ground level.

straight talk on crop residue management

To convert crop residue into soil-building humus, soil microbes must decompose the residue. The decomposition process requires the crop

residue to be incorporated into the top layer of soil, ground moisture must be present, the soil must be warm and the microbes must have a

supply of oxygen. When any of these elements are missing or are in short supply, the decomposition process will not proceed properly.

Grower Dave Utecht Location Hastings, Nebraska Situation Residue Management with Bt corn

There’s one thing Dave Utecht has done differently

and he thinks it almost certainly accounts for some

yield increase from 200 up to 240 bushels per acre, he

utilizes a Sunflower 4510-13 shank machine. “I could tell

you almost to the row by how well the soil worked where

I’d run the Sunflower machine and where I hadn’t.”

Dave’s residue problems with high-yielding corn have

been compounded by what he calls the “really noticeable”

effects of Bt corn. “I was needing a tillage tool that would

go through all that trash, not plug the machine and cover

it up to start decomposing.”

Dave first utilized a competitive chisel and even with a

whole rack of weights on both sides it still wasn’t heavy

enough to do the job. That’s when Dave first tried incorpo-

rating corn residue with a Sunflower unit. “I like the quality,

and the way Sunflower builds the equipment. They’re not

afraid to put a lot of steel in Sunflower equipment. “

“My 4510-13 is a pricey piece of equipment, but it’s worth

the investment. I like the way it tears up the ground and

covers up that heavy trash. The front gangs are individu-

ally mounted and set at enough of a compound angle that

they slice very well through the tough residue. I can also

leave the back gangs raised on limited residue situations,

leaving the ground rough and preventing over-winter

blowing.”

Dave feels the 4510-13 has improved soil tilth making it

really mellow and bringing more air into the soil. Also, he

has a larger operating window now that his soil absorbs

moisture much better than other options only allowing

him to work dry fields, creating clods. And Dave can track

a dramatic increase in yields with usage

of the Sunflower 4510-13. On the

Sunflower worked fields, Dave can

now plant continuous corn and still hold up to 240 bush-

els per acre. “This wouldn’t be possible without the use of

my Sunflower 4510-13 in the fall.”

Maybe, according to Dave, he’s attributing too much to

his Sunflower machine. Yet he doesn’t think so, since it

changed everything in his fields, with rising yields serving

as the best possible illustration.

“When I cultivate later on I’ve noticed that the soil doesn’t

‘slab’ like it used to and that it remains looser. This results

in improved plant health since the plants are able to root

down further.”

“Sunflower Equipment Makes A Difference With My Residue.”

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Model 4511/4530

New 2005 Models Feature9 to 19 Shanks with reduced

transport width

MODEL NUMBER

4511-94511-114511-134511-154530-19

CUTTING WIDTH

11’ 3”13’ 9”16’ 3”18’ 9”23’ 9”

SHANK SPACING

15”15”15”15”15”

NO. OF SHANKS

911131519

TRANSWIDTH

13’ 9”17’ 2”16’ 9”18’ 8”18’ 1”

TRANS HEIGHT

6’ 8”6’ 8”8’ 9”

10’ 3”11’ 7”

NO OFBLADES F/R

12/1614/2018/2220/2624/32

BLADESSPACING F/R

12”/10 1⁄2”12”/10 1⁄2”12”/10 1⁄2”12”/10 1⁄2”12”/10 1⁄2”

EstimatedWeight

13,160 lbs14,38516,68017,90024,360

TIRES &SIZE

(4) 12.5Lx15”(4) 12.5Lx15”(4) 12.5Lx15”(4) 12.5Lx15”(8) 12.5Lx15”

Grower Dan Tindall Location Akron, Iowa Situation Residue Management with Bt corn

“If I had the decision to make again, I’d definitely

buy another Sunflower 1434 21-foot flexible tandem

disc. My Sunflower disc was a good investment, a wise

investment.”

That’s how Dan Tindall sums up the first year of using

his new disc. He farms 720 acres of corn and soybeans

on mostly rolling, terraced ground near Akron, Iowa.

He follows a minimum-tillage system in order to leave

enough surface residue to both cut down on erosion and

to be in NRCS compliance. He used his disc in early April,

immediately following it with the planter. Although he

hasn’t disced in the fall before, due to Bt corn hybrids he

plans to begin doing some discing this fall in order to bury

additional residue that’s produced and begin breaking it

down.

“I noticed that I had to raise my planter up a little bit

this spring, because the ground was just mellower than

ever before and I was able to go deeper. “This was great,

since I was still getting a level planting surface and not

having any problem with the trash,” Tindall reports. He

found that the soil is definitely more mellow and a lot

softer after going over it with his Sunflower disc. What

this observation meant to him was that he’s now getting

better aeration, and that root growth should be enhanced,

too.

He also noticed that the disc’s gauge wheels on the wings

allowed it to ride the terraces well and still be level and

work without ridging or gouging. “I think it’s tremendous

how my Sunflower disc leaves the seedbed so level,”

Tindall observes, “even where the going got rough. This is

important, because I want to get my corn seed planted at

an optimum, uniform depth for best yields. “The ground

couldn’t have looked better after I got done discing it,”

he adds. “All the stalks were nicely cut and torn up, all in a

level seedbed. It kind of looked like each field was saying,

‘Hey, we’re ready to be planted now’!”

Maintenance goes fast, according to Tindall, with the few

grease zerks readily accessible and the maintenance-

free features of the UHMW polymer that is used in the

rockshafts and wing hinges. What initially caught Tindall’s

eye when he saw his first Sunflower disc on a dealer’s

lot was how heavy-duty and durable it appeared. From

the disc gangs to the steel tubing to the welds to the

workmanship to its heaviness, he remembers being

impressed on close inspection.

“This is a well-built disc,” he comments. “No farmer wants

to be back in the implement store in a couple of years

making another trade. That’s certainly not going to be a

problem with my Sunflower disc. The durability is there.

“This disc is going to last me a long time,” Tindall predicts,

“and I think it’s easily going to last ten years for me.”

“My Sunflower Disc Was A Good Investment, A Wise Investment.”

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By Chester Peterson Jr.

• Eliminates daily greasing• No metal-to-metal parts wear• Tests revealed after 100,000 cycles – the material looked like new

Grower Dan Stoller Location Kentland, Indiana Situation Residue Management with Bt corn

Like many farmers, Dan Stoller often faces a speed bump or two in his corn and

soybean program. But, he shifts into another gear when major obstacles threaten

yields on his 4,000 acres. “I feel that flexibility is the driving force that builds a good

production portfolio,” the Kentland, Indiana, farmer comments. “One starting block for

success is to fill the machine shed with good tillage equipment.”

In 2004, that became a reality for Stoller when he purchased three Sunflower

implements. His inventory includes a model 1434-33 Tandem Disc, a model 7252-37 Soil

Conditioner, and a model 5135-36 Field Cultivator. Stoller points to several changes in his

operation in the past five to seven years that influenced his buying decision. These were:

• A 50 percent increase in tillable acres.

• Reducing field passes while achieving a good seedbed.

• Striving for better seed emergence under adverse conditions.

• Increasing corn populations from 27,000 to 30,000 plants an acre.

“One reason I chose Sunflower equipment was reputation,” Stoller says. “Farmers

associate this brand name with quality. The equipment is dependable, holds up in tough

conditions, shows consistent results, and the dealer network is excellent.”

Stoller uses his new disc primarily for knocking down stalks where he grows corn on

corn. He also incorporates plowdown fertilizer that’s applied on bean stubble in the fall.

A pass with the implement at five-and-a-half to six miles an hour approximately

two inches deep ensures a good mixing action with surface residue. This allows soil

temperatures to warm up faster in early spring, too. “At planting time I can pick up a

couple of days, plus now make only one trip over my fields with the field cultivator,”

Stoller says. “At a minimum cost of $7.50 an acre, I’m saving $17,250 in fuel and labor.

That represents a good down payment for new equipment.” Stoller notes that in the past

few years, weather conditions have been less than ideal for breaking down stalks and

soybean straw.

“Trying to feed residue through older implements caused a boatload of trouble,” he

recalls. “I couldn’t run unless it was perfectly dry. Also, sometimes the trash bunched,

which hampered early corn seed emergence. However, planting conditions have been

superior with this rig. “One of the primary reasons I purchased the 5135 was ease of

transport,” Stoller adds. “The implement folds to a reduced transport height of 13.5

feet. Having a dropped hinge on the center frame and inner wing certainly saves me

time when traveling on narrow roads and maneuvering through tight bridges. Plus, my

machine shed door is only 14 feet high.”

Another favorable selling point on the disc was that greasing has been eliminated on

both the wing hinges and all transport connections by incorporating UHMW technology

into high wear areas. Also, he points out that the wing hinges and transport connections

on his field cultivator feature polymer sleeves that require no greasing, hold hinge joints

tight, and offer extended life.

Stoller has been impressed with his dealer and service support, saying, “This fall I had

a district manager stop by and recheck leveling and tweak adjustments on the disc,” he

says. “For me this equipment has excelled in every phase of operation,” he adds. “It’s well-

built, properly designed, and a perfect match for the horsepower on my four-wheel drive

tractors.”

“I Filled My Machine Shed With Good Tillage Equipment.”

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By Harlen Persinger

Grower Ken and Gary Knapp Location Magnolia, Illinois Situation Residue Management with Bt corn

When Ken and Gary Knapp’s equipment dealer suggested they purchase a split-

wing 43-foot Sunflower 6433 Land Finisher, the brothers didn’t take long to make

their decision. “Since we constantly strive for efficiency and timeliness and needed an

upgrade, this implement fit the bill for us,” Ken says. “We’ve never regretted trading in our

Competitive Soil Finisher, and now we have the right tool for our operation.”

Knapp Farms grows 3,100 acres of corn and soybeans, including 400 acres of no-till, on

silt loam soils near Magnolia, Illinois. Originally the farming partners started with 320

acres in the early ‘70s. However, they now must travel up to 40 miles to till some of their

fields. The Knapps use the land finisher on all their soybean ground before planting corn

in the spring. They make one pass with it to incorporate granular fertilizer, herbicides, or

28 percent liquid nitrogen.

“We eliminate one trip with the land finisher. The savings in fuel, labor, and wear and tear

on the equipment averages $7.50 an acre, or $18,750 on 2,500 acres,” Gary reports. “And,

it just makes sense to have a premium one-pass tool rather than spreading the cash out

for two items. “With the finisher, we always have the right type of implement that adapts

to every possible field condition and soil type on our farm,” he adds.

In the past few years, the Knapps have switched half their acreage to Bt hybrids. They

preferred a machine with an aggressive cutting attachment and higher than normal

clearance capacity between the shanks due to the combination of excessive lignin

content of the corn plants and unpredictable weather.

“The 6433 is set up to handle excess crop residue at a constant speed,” Ken explains. “The

shanks offer 24 inches of underframe clearance for optimum trash flow. We’ve never had

a problem with residue,” Gary notes.

Another selling point for the Knapps was the exclusive disc gang reel offered only by

Sunflower. This feature prevents lateral movement of the soil coming off disc gangs. It

also pulverizes clods, mixes soil and residue, and incorporates herbicides. The Knapps

agree that the best route for producing bin-busting crops begins with a good seedbed

that’s not prone to heavy erosion. “When you achieve perfect soil conditions you’re

likely to see quick, even emergence,” Ken says. “After a pass with the land finisher,

approximately 15 percent of the residue remains. This results in a coarse enough surface

so a heavy, pounding rain doesn’t hamper early plant growth.”

The machine’s capacity provides another luxury for the brothers. They can afford to wait

a few days rather than work wet fields that could create compaction problems. “I’m sold

on the sheer ruggedness, workmanship, and quality of design that comes with Sunflower

equipment,” Gary says. “Those are the kind of features that not only hold downtime to a

minimum, but that help retain resale value.”

Ken offers another positive thought by saying, “I feel it’s worth spending extra dollars for

larger equipment. Besides gaining peace-of-mind, you know you’ll get the job done in a

timely manner. “We’ve never been disappointed with the 6433,” he adds. “It handles daily

challenges with ease.”

6433 Land Finisher One-Pass Tool Saves Them $18,750 A Year.

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By Harlen Persinger

Grower John Thompson Location Beresford, South Dakota Situation Residue Management with Bt corn

You’ve seen fields, maybe you’ve even pulled a disc

over some of them, that after a discing look like the

surface of a brown lake. At speeds of six to seven miles

an hour a lot of discs “throw” ridges from each end and

sometimes in the middle, too.

“I’ve had three Sunflower disc harrows, and none of

them have ever made ‘waves’,” John Thompson points

out. He farms 3,600 acres near Beresford, South Dakota.

In addition to the 30-foot disc harrow, his Sunflower

lineup also includes a 5035 field cultivator and 7232 soil

conditioner.

“My Sunflower 1434 30-foot disc harrow leaves every field

nice and level. I don’t end up with all those wavy ridges.”

Thompson says. He’s found this results in more uniform

planting depth and at harvest an easier riding combine

with less worry about flex heads clearing.

Another difference between his Sunflower disc harrow

and other discs is also readily apparent to the eye.

According to him, generally you can still see the rows if

you drive by somebody’s field in the fall three days after

it’s been disced by another brand of disc. That’s not so

with his fields, however. Thompson has observed that Bt

corn, especially if the stalks are still a bit green, can be

tough to handle. His first try at discing Bt cornstalks with

another brand of disc wasn’t a satisfactory experience

since it didn’t chop up and bury the stalks well.

“Then the next year my first Sunflower disc did a

tremendous job of chopping the stalks,” his says. “I later

dug down a little into the soil, and I could see the stalks

were breaking down and decaying better than before.

The field had a lot more organic matter.”

His thinking is, “The Sunflower disc harrow is the heaviest

disc in the industry, and it really chops up the stalks when

I sink it into the ground. If the residue is to be buried, then

this disc will do it. Also, the finer the chop, the easier it’s

going to break down in the soil.”

He’s also noticed that the Sunflower disc harrow seems

to seal up the soil and to retain moisture quite well. One

dry year in particular stands out. Where he’d disced early

with it in the fall the corn yield was higher than where he

hadn’t used it.

He uses 24-inch, 1/4-inch-thick blades on his disc, and has

found that with their beveled edges they stay sharp and

continue to cut correctly. He notes that rocks don’t bother

at all. And, he’s yet to experience his first blade breakage

or bearing problem.

“But,” Thompson smiles, “what I love the most about this

disc harrow is the hydraulic fore and aft option instead of

the standard crank, that’s a pain. “For example,” he adds,

“sometimes in the spring I’ll want the front end up and

the back end down a little bit more. This is a beautiful

option. The adjustments on this disc harrow are really

super.”

He also appreciates the standard equipment transport

wheels. Since they’re a walking tandem, they distribute

the weight better over uneven ground. This helps keep

the disc in the ground more evenly and uniformly,

according to Thompson.

“My Sunflower disc harrow is well-built,” he comments.

“Maintenance is simple, reliability is good, and it’s made

heavy and durable. All I’ve ever had to do to one is keep

the bearings greased.”

“My First Sunflower Disc Did A Tremendous Job Of Chopping The Stalks.”

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By Chester Peterson Jr.

Grower Scott Gerdes Location Clara City, Minnesota Situation Residue Management with Bt corn

After seeing the results of using his Sunflower

tillage tools, Scott Gerdes knows they just keep

going and going and going. “My ground primarily

consists of sandy and clay loam soils,” the Clara City,

Minnesota, farmer advises. “Since my best production

results occur with conservation tillage rather than no-till,

I need dependable, rugged machines to cover all types of

fields quickly.”

Gerdes Farms raises 3,500 acres of corn, soybeans, sweet

corn, garden peas, and navy beans in a three-to five-year

rotation across 65 miles. Nearly half of his operation is

irrigated by center-pivot systems. “Approximately 75

percent of my corn ground is now planted to Bt hybrids,”

Gerdes says. “Due to the higher lignin content in the Bt

corn stalk, it has become a tough challenge working left-

over residue, especially after a dry winter.”

To solve that problem, the 50-year-old farmer purchased

a 17-foot Sunflower 4411 Disc Ripper in 2003. “In its

first season, this unit did an excellent job working 3,000

acres. I never had an ounce of trouble and it handled

the shock of ripping some of my rocky ground with

ease,” he reports. “I marveled at the machine’s ability

to tackle heavy levels of residue.” Gerdes notes that

the individually mounted disc blades not only react

quickly and efficiently to field obstacles, but also provide

excellent clean-out ability in wet conditions.

Satisfied with the unit’s performance, Gerdes added a

36-foot Sunflower 6432 Land Finisher later that season.

“I ran it over 5,000 acres, and even did custom work for

the neighbors, because they realized the machine could

handle heavy residue and leave a superior seedbed,”

he notes. “It went through all types of field conditions.”

According to Gerdes, the overall machine design is

set up to save time. He’s now able to prepare fields in

just one pass instead of multiple passes. This results in

an estimated cost savings to him of approximately $5

an acre. It also boosts capacity per hour, and frees up

manpower and a tractor to work on other field chores.

Gerdes says he’s noticed there’s much less wear and

tear on pivot points, too. The spring cushion disc gangs

provide longer machine life and overall protection

against solid objects. The tension on the spring shanks

is quite high so there’s no rise or “cheating” during

operation. “If you set the cultivator shanks at four inches,

they stay in place. That’s why herbicide incorporation and

seedbed preparation are so consistent with this rig,” he

says. “It sizes up all types of residue and lets everything

flow through extremely well. “Whether discing,

conditioning, incorporating, or finishing, I’m sold on the

machine’s versatility, especially for raising table beets. It’s

the best tillage implement I’ve ever owned,” he adds.

Gerdes’ next piece of Sunflower equipment was a 44-foot

5055 Field Cultivator. In 2004, he ordered the 5-section

model, because it featured walking tandems placed

across the entire machine for optimum depth control.

This eliminated gouging wings and frame bounce.

Gerdes feels the engineering design sets this implement

apart from others. For example, every spring tension

shank assembly features a replaceable steel press-in

bushing that houses the main steel clamp bushing. This

approach allows the pivot bolt to be tightened against

the clamp bushing, assuring bushing-on-bushing wear

and increased life of the assembly.

“Working my ground with the field cultivator or in heavy

residue with the soil finisher helps soils warm up faster,

evens residue distribution, improves water infiltration,

and leaves the soil more resistant to crusting,” he says.

“All these benefits fit together like a puzzle and help me

maximize yield potential with high amounts of residue.”

In today’s mammoth-sized farm operations, it’s critical to

be able to count on equipment that won’t miss days.

“Sunflower fits the way I want to farm and allows me

to do just that. Instead of fighting residue, I purchased

equipment to handle it,” Gerdes adds. “The quality,

rugged workmanship, and dependability of these

machines, teamed with service and support, is second to

none.”

“It’s The Best Tillage Implement I’ve Ever Owned.”

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By Harlen Persinger

PRSRT STDU S POSTAGE

PAIDWICHITA KS

PERMIT NO 84P.O. Box 566Beloit, KS 67420