Subsoil Moisture Impacts in 2000

Nov 25, 2020

By Paul Kassel

A quick review of subsoil moisture during the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2000 shows that subsoil moisture did not recharge much from October 30, 1999 to April 10 of 2000 (table 1). The five subsoil moisture sites gained from 0.6 to 4.2 inches of moisture during the late fall and early spring.

Table 2 shows the April 11 to September 30 rainfall was almost normal in Milford, Estherville, Spencer and Pocahontas. However, rainfall in Storm Lake was 9.5 inches below normal.

This information shows the effect on corn yields from below normal subsoil moisture (4.3 inches at Newell site on April 10) and below normal summer rainfall in Storm Lake . The USDA NASS Buena Vista county corn yield was about 20 bushel per acre below the levels in other area counties (table 3).

Source : iastate.edu

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

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