PHOTO: POWERSTOCK
CROP RESIDUE
This corn stover is ready for PowerStock to harvest.
Soil Depletion, Erosion Risks Removing residue can cause problems for the soil, depending on where the crop is located, the soil type and how much is removed, according to Noel Gollehon, senior economist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Residue serves two main functions for the soil: it protects from rain, wind and erosion; and decomposes back into the soil as organic matter that is an important source of carbon and thereby an important element of soil quality, Gollehon explains. Some crops produce more residue than others and if only a little is present and promptly removed, it leads to soil depletion. In addition, some residues break down quickly, while others remain on the soil. “But as long as we replace the nutrients that are lost with it, it’s a practice that can go on for some time,” he says.
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“We’re staying way below the residue numbers as far as what we’re leaving on the field,” Weishaar says. “We want to be good stewards of the soil and the last thing we want to have happen is the farmer taking too much material where he opens himself up to nutritional loss or erosion issues.” To make sure this doesn’t happen, Iowa State University is conducting region-specific studies in the Emmetsburg area to determine best practices for residue removal. The study includes two extreme scenarios: taking everything off the corn field; and traditional combining where all residue is deposited back onto the field. The research will also evaluate four variations in between and will monitor soil condition, nutrients and other crucial issues. “We want to make sure we can answer those questions for the farmer and more importantly the landowner, on what are the impacts to the soil if it’s [removed] one year, three years or whatever it may be for my soil,” Weishaar explains. The results were due in February and at press time Weishaar believed they would not deter interested farmers from participating in Project Liberty. “We’re confident that it will not be harmful to the soil, that the results will be very positive,” he says. Thus far, soil concerns have not steered farmers away, but they do want to know what data is available and what to expect, he adds. Project Liberty is on task as far as permitting goes, so the next step is to generate farmer contracts. “The third leg on the stool is activities surrounding E15 and expanding the market,” Weishaar says. “The last thing you want to do is build a plant if you don’t have an available market to sell the ethanol to. The E15 legislation that will allow our market to expand is vital, as well.”
Added Revenue “We’re opening up a new revenue stream for the farmer and creating a new cash crop in the sense that we’re going to buy what
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