Sustainable Wheat Stripping and No-Till Farming Practices
8 Jul 241m 33s

Kevin Matthews demonstrates his sustainable wheat stripping and no-till practices. By using stripper heads, he efficiently harvests grain while leaving the plant residue on the field. This residue forms a protective mulch layer, preventing erosion and improving soil health. The method also supports healthier corn crops by enhancing residual nitrogen availability, reducing the need for commercial fertilizers.

00:00 So today we are stripping our wheat, and this is part of sustainability practice that we do. It's very common to do, but then again, a lot don't do that. 00:09 For some reason, we really like running the stripper heads. And what we're doing is, if you can see, 00:16 we're just taking the grain off and we're leaving the whole plant left there on the ground, and then we will no-till our soybeans into this wheat 00:24 stubble and this straw matting will be there. And then when we harvest the soybeans this fall, it will be a beautiful, thick carpet of mulch on the ground 00:35 and it will prevent erosion, preventing the erosion and keeping that soil covered up. When we come in next spring 00:42 and no-till our corn crop in there, it will allow for a much healthier corn crop. We have more residue breakdown, so 00:50 that entails giving us more residual nitrogen that has been metabolized and produced by the wheat plant and the soybean plant. 00:59 And it makes it easier for the corn plant to metabolize and take that nutrient up, and we don't have to buy 01:05 as much commercial fertilizer and put out there. So there's a lot behind this practice, but it's just an update on what's going on here in 01:12 Piedmont, North Carolina. Without these type of practices, these soils here would be pretty tough 01:17 to make a crop on at the yield level that we want to be at. I hope this kind of helps you a little bit 01:22 and just shows a little more of the sustainability that we do here in our operation and extreme ag. Stay safe. Thank you.

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