When it comes to farmer profitability, nothing is more important than their crops’ ability to grow.
Central to that growth potential is a crop’s root system — and its ability to take up crucial nutrients and water from the soil.
However, there’s one big problem in the Mid-South Mississippi Delta area that makes that growth more difficult: soil compaction. In compacted soils, crops struggle to develop deep root systems, absorb nutrients, and grow to their full potential — and you lose money when those yields drop.
The good news is there are practices you can use to reduce this harm and maintain your profitability.
Why is soil compaction such an issue in the Mid-South?
Years of heavy equipment traffic on wet soils: Soil takes the brunt of the impact when heavy machinery rolls over the fields. And although that equipment is helping to apply helpful inputs, like pesticides or nutrients, the long-term harm to the underlying soil can be severe.
Poor drainage is common in the Delta, and this can result in wet soils in the spring and fall – right when field work is necessary. Equipment passes on these wet soils increase the risk of compaction, since water acts as a lubricant that packs soil particles together.
Loads above 10 tons per axle also increase the risk of compaction below the tillage layer. For perspective, a 325-hp tractor can weigh about 13 tons per axle. A full 12-row combine can weigh up to 24 tons per axle. And a 1,200-bushel grain cart can weigh 35 to 40 tons per axle.
Consistent deep tillage: Farmers in the Mid-South are accustomed to fairly heavy tillage management systems. This isn’t your fault: many generations before you have tilled this way. Decades of this management style can harm current-day soil structure, reduce organic matter (which further degrades the soil structure), and create more soil crusting.
Tillage reduces the amount of crop residue protecting the soil surface, and this further accelerates compaction. Research shows that over the last century, tillage has reduced soil organic levels by 60 percent.
Cotton acres: In the Mid-South, cotton is one of the most significant crops. But unfortunately, it’s also one that causes the most soil compaction. Since cotton requires more pesticide applications, more in-season equipment passes are necessary. This can further compact the soil.
How soil compaction impacts your profitability
The list of negative effects from soil compaction is long. Compaction limits root growth, causes slower crop emergence, reduces moisture and nutrient uptake, increases the risk of pests and disease, and requires more irrigation and input applications (all of which are more dollars out of your pocket). All of these factors limit yields — and harm profitability.
One study out of Minnesota found that in compacted soil, corn yields were reduced by 30 bushels per acre. If your normal yield is 160 bushels per acre, and that drops down to 130 bushels out of compacted soil, that’s a roughly $120/acre loss.
Scale that number to however many acres you operate, and the loss of profitability gets scary, quick.
Questions?
Talk to a local advisor
Our team of local advisors have worked with growers across the Mid-South to tackle unique challenges and improve soil health. Get connected with one today.
How to address compaction in your fields
Thankfully, soil compaction is not solely a natural event. You do have some control over reducing compaction’s impact and protecting your yields.
Here are a few regenerative practices to keep in mind to reduce compaction on your land.
- Change tillage practices: A sustainable, long-term solution is to move to reduced or minimal tillage. At Vayda, we’ve transitioned our own farms from 100% conventional tillage to two-thirds now under minimal or no-till systems. (As an added benefit, we’ve saved $15/acre on fuel costs thanks to this switch.)
- Monitor for signs of compaction: Look out for areas in the field with stunted growth and poor root development. This can be caused by several different factors, but stunted growth could be a sign of compaction that’s harming nutrient and water uptake by your crops. Other signs of compaction include slow water infiltration, water ponding, high surface runoff, and soil erosion immediately following an average (not extreme) rainfall event. The best way to verify if compaction is an issue is to use a shovel or penetrometer to check the compacted layer.
- Deep tillage (once): This might seem counterintuitive at first. But sometimes, in the transition to more regenerative practices, you might need to do one initial deep tillage event to break up soil layers and set yourself up for success in a reduced-tillage system.
- Cover crops: Integrating cover crops helps break up the soil, improve water and nutrient availability, reduce erosion, and suppress weeds. It’s important to choose cover crops that have really deep root systems that can drive down into heavy clay soil, especially in the Mid-South. These deep root systems maximize their impact on alleviating compaction.
- Minimize future compaction: Try to choose one controlled traffic pattern throughout your fields, and stick to it. This way you can reduce the amount of trips you take over wet soils and limit compaction. Keep axle loads down as much as you can, and maintain proper tire pressure. Over-inflation of tires can exacerbate compaction.
At Vayda, we’ve been integrating these strategies on 5,000+ acres to reduce compaction and maintain soil health. Our local advisors are ready to take that knowledge and experience — and tailor it to your individual fields.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to reducing the harm of soil compaction. But there are combinations of strategies that can go hand in hand. We also offer compaction measurements so you can fully understand the level of compaction you’re dealing with. Connect with one of our local advisors to see what recommendations would work best for your operation.
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