Remedying Ruts and Compaction Concerns After Wet Harvest

BY Dairyland Seed Agronomy Team

Most of the Dairyland Seed region received varied amounts of rainfall during harvest which forced some growers to harvest in less-than-ideal conditions. These conditions resulted in ruts being left in the fields and compaction concerns. Soil compaction can reduce water infiltration, increase runoff and hinder root growth of the next crop. Below are some tips for dealing with ruts and compaction.

Ruts don’t necessarily mean there is subsurface compaction (deeper than 6 inches). Saturated soil can be squeezed to the surface but might not have major compaction below the surface. Consider using a penetrometer to check for subsoil compaction.
The best way to level out ruts is to wait until the soil is dry and use light tillage to smooth the rutted area. These areas may require two or three passes to fill in the ruts. Light tillage over just the rutted area is a better approach than heavy tillage across the whole field, which could cause additional compaction.
Tillage is often needed to break up subsoil compaction, but the soil must be dry to fracture the compacted layers. If the soil is still wet, this could create more issues by breaking down soil aggregates and causing hardening of the soil. Trying to deep till a wet soil will result in cutting slots and smearing rather than breaking up compaction layers.
One option to help with fall tillage is frost tillage. Frost tillage is shallow tillage (4-6 inches deep) when the frost is 1-3 inches deep. The frost in the ground helps to hold up the equipment and not contribute further to compaction. The downfalls are it’s difficult to know the amount/depth of frost in the soil and more horsepower is required to pull the tillage implement.

Overall, the best thing you can do to combat compaction is wait until soils are dried out before you try to remedy the situation. This could mean delaying tillage until next spring and waiting until next fall for deep tillage. Building soil structure will help greatly in combating compaction. Some ways to build up soil structure are by using cover crops, controlling field traffic and reduced tillage practices.

If you have any questions, please contact your local DSM or Regional Agronomist.