NW32 Step 16

I know that it looks suspiciously the same as step 15, but in we are running the sprinkler for two very different reasons. In step 15, it was important to activate the preemerge herbicide which we applied in step 14. Here in step 16 we are helping baby corn plants facing a crust on the soil surface to go ahead and emerge.
While it is pretty the puddles are a bad thing. The water pools in places where the soil has been compacted, which inhibits its ability to absorb water. This soil is compacted because we drive through here regularly to work on the irrigation well/motor, and also the grain cart generally ends up going around the pivot here quite frequently during harvest.

Here you can see the difference in soil temperatures between where the ground has been tilled (above)and not tilled(below). The corn is several days ahead where the ground cover is sparse because the soil is so much warmer there. This is a big reason why most farmers strip-till, rather than no-till their corn.

I really like the baby corn. It's pretty tough to come up through all that trash.

No chance of "rowing" the corn yet.