Darwyn Mayer, Mott, ND

I farm about 4,000 acres with my father, Francis Mayer in northern Hettinger County, North Dakota, approximately 80 miles southwest of Bismarck. We currently grow spring wheat, winter wheat, barley, corn, canola, flax, sunflowers, buckwheat, durum, and peas. Even prior to no-till, our chaff and straw spreading was already a big problem. With no chaff spreaders on our conventional combines, we had to resort to fall disking in order to run our field cultivator and double disc drills in the spring. This system caused severe water erosion with large wash-outs to continually fill in with more tillage.

In 1996, we started over half the farm in low disturbance no-till (single disc drill). Before the harvest of 1995 we fitted our rotary and our conventional combines with Redekop choppers. The conventional machine also required a double spinner hydraulic drive chaff spreader. The chaff in the rotary machine fed into the chopper.

I feel that spreading chaff is the most important thing to do, and is also the easiest to accomplish. Almost all chaff spreaders on the market can at least spread chaff three times the width of the separator, which is adequate.

When crops get heavy, the straw spreading is what we have found to be more difficult. From my casual observation of straw spreading, I believe the following affects your machine's ability to properly spread straw:

1. Header type, width, and cutting height
2. The mechanical condition and speed of rotation of the chopper
3. Condition of the straw
1. Green or tough
2. Windrowed

Proper straw spreading will set up next year's no-till crop for success:

1. Single disc drill can handle a large amount of residue if it is spread well and the drill is in good condition and set deep.
2. Soils will warm up evenly if straw is spread well.
3. Nutrients won’t be tied up in streaks if straw is spread well.
4. Diseases won’t be as much a problem.

1. Row crop planter with row cleaner
2. Plant late seeded crops like millet or buckwheat to let residue decay longer and soil warm up more.
3. Heavy harrow only moves straw
1. Decreases snow hold
2. More residue on the ground to seed through
4. Coulter knife NH-3 application in the fall.

In 2003 our best spreading job was done with JD rotary machines with fine-cut choppers, and by leaving a tall stubble with 30’ headers. We could plant winter wheat directly into 45 bu. spring wheat stubble with no problem with a worn single disc air seeder. Also in 2003, our worst spreading job was done with a JD conventional machine with a regular chopper cutting low with a 36’ header. We have harrowed this twice, and still couldn’t move all the straw after a 40 bu. durum crop.