While the winners in the annual National Corn Yield Contest sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association do everything they can to harvest top yields, they certainly don’t skimp on nutrients.

Annual ryegrass works hard as a cover crop. It sends roots down as far as 6 feet in no-till fields, breaking through compaction layers to reach deep water and nutrients, and it leaves improved soil structure and higher organic content in its path, according to Mike Plumer.

The harvesting of corn residue, referred to as stover, as ethanol fodder will focus on “flat soils with high yields in wet areas. That’s where to start,” according to Jim Hettenhaus, a chemical engineer who works on ethanol-related issues with the U.S. Department of Energy and private companies.

Saskatchewan farmers recognize the value of leaving direct seeded crop stubble standing, since it traps more snow than cut or chopped stubble. It’s especially important in western Canada where as much as one-third of the annual precipitation can come from winter snows, says Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association agrologist Tim Nerbas.

When our forefathers first sailed to this country and started working American soil for food, they had no idea that their methods were actually hurting the productivity of the soil. After all, the vast prairies of this continent had millions of years to build up proper carbon, nitrogen and potassium levels. If tilling the soil was actually draining those nutrients and hurting its productivity, it certainly wasn’t apparent to early settlers.