Ontario Grain Farmer April/May 2021

Lowering seeding rates is another light- harnessing strategy, and a means of lowering seeding costs. While the numbers can vary, 800,000 to one million wheat seeds per acre is standard when no manure is applied. With manure, Mauck has successfully dropped that number as low as 250,000. Soybean populations generally hover around 120,000 seeds per acre. This strategy is based on the “Pareto Distribution” – a probability equation which can determine the optimal meeting place between input and output. In Mauck’s case, sacrificing a little yield can actually be more profitable in the grand scheme provided all relevant factors are accounted for. “In corn I can plant 30,000 seeds to maximize yield, but if we plant 3,000 seeds, we won’t get 10 per cent yield. We may get 40 or 50 per cent because the environment and the inputs are the same,” he says, later adding “I can get more output for less input in that space…What are you hurting if your soybeans are better off?” ENDLESS GROWTH NOT A LONG-TERM SOLUTION For Mauck, relay cropping is rooted in more than a basic drive for sustainability. It is a practical approach to a wider philosophical focus — that is, taking better advantage of sustainable, readily available resources to grow crops, while simultaneously extracting less. He also reiterates a willingness to try new things is critical. Doing so does bring risks, of course, though never changing anything is far more dangerous. “Everything in nature is a product of its environment. It takes years of a system in place before you really see the benefits.” l ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 25 APRIL/MAY 2021 Because relay cropping involves leaving wide rows between the initial crop, leftover cover crop residue also helps supress early-season weeds. EXAMPLE OF RELAY CROPPING. PHOTO COURTESY OF OMAFRA.