Does strip intercropping have a place?
By Janet Kubat Willette
jkubat@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 02/23/2012 9:21 AM
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ROCHESTER, Minn. — A retired John Deere engineer shared his ideas for shaking up the traditional row crop system during the keynote address at the Conservation Tillage Conference.
Bob Recker of Waterloo, Iowa, advocates high productivity farming and is researching strip intercropping as a means to reach that goal.
Strip intercropping is a system of alternating corn with another crop to create more outside rows. He cranks up the seed population in the outer rows of corn to crank up the yields.
Strip intercropping was looked at by university researchers in the 1980s and 1990s and they concluded it was interesting, but it was too much of a hassle to work, Recker said.
He argues changes that have occurred since including RTK, variable-rate planting, improved hybrids and glysophate resistant crops that make strip intercropping more viable.
Recker showed yields from a 12-row strip. The corn yields on the outside rows were 437 and 447. The yield on the second row in was 296 and 283. Yields dropped further in, but the field averaged 275 bushels per acre.
When the outer two rows on each side are averaged, the yield was 365 bushels per acre. The yield for the center rows was 230 bushels.
There are many reasons not to do strip intercropping and it's not for everyone because it is a management intensive practice, but Recker figures if enough people start playing with the system they may figure it out.
Recker sees strip intercropping as a way to save soil by planting corn with something. He doesn't know what yet, but he plans to continue to experiment.
His goal is to make the corn so profitable that the strips don't owe him anything. He's not there yet.
Recker encouraged farmers at the conference to build their people network, experiment and have fun. Test, learn and innovate, he told them.
"If you don't change, you don't adapt, you are at risk," Recker said.
One thing he does every year is take to the air to see what's going on in the fields — a practice he encourages other farmers to emulate. Take photos.
"If you can see it from the air, you'll see it on your yield map," he said.
In general, straight lines are caused by the action of man; curved lines are created by God.
Recker also delivered some advice based on his years in agriculture: Brace for the next cycle.
"You guys are making a lot of money now — there's a lot of new equipment," he said. "That's great."
The young guys think this is the new normal. The older guys think this feels a lot like the 1970s. Enjoy today, Recker says, because he believes tougher days are ahead.