"My father has been farming conventionally for 40 years. Primarily a standard corn and soybean crop rotation is utilized. As my father is nearing retirement, I'm considering taking over the operation and transitioning a portion of the acreage to organic. I believe this program would help us to experiment and learn alternative and sustainable methods of weed management."

The Butzow farm is a grain farm just starting to transition to organic

Production approach is: Conventional corn and beans

Rotations: Corn-soybean (will broaden during transition)

Cover crops: Sometimes rye

Tillage: Ripper and no-till

Soil amendment program: Soil test every three years. Some manure used years ago. Lime and dry fertilizer applied where needed on a grid.

Soil tests: Click HERE.

Farm was visited on 4/29/09. Fields were very wet and muddy. Corn stalks and heavy crop residue remained from 2008. Thistle was not yet visible in areas where farmer has seen it in years past. According to farmer, fairly large, thick patches of Canada thistle exist in at least two areas in the field chosen for this project. Current farmer (Bob Butzow) is turning over this field to his son, Ryan who will begin transition to organic with soybeans in 2009. The following plan was developed with the help of Bob and Ryan:

1. Till multiple times. A field cultivator will be used 2-3x starting as soon as conditions allow.

2. Plant sudan grass. Seed will be located and sudan grass will be planted in early June at a recommended rate of 55 lbs/acres in areas tilled.

3. Mow sudan at 4'. Sudan grass will be mowed just as thistles are starting to flower. Sudan should be at least 4' tall. Farmer will try to find and use a flail mower.

4. Sudan will be mowed again. A second mowing will prevent any thistle from flowering and help build up a thick layer of biomass to smother thistle.

5. Sudan will be tilled under in Fall.

Thistle patch was mowed on June 13, tilled on June 14 and sowed to sudangrass on June 20. On August 20, the area was examined. Growing sudangrass was barely 12" tall and very yellowed (see pictures below). This sudangrass had not yet been mowed. Thistle was growing and flowering in the sudangrass. Ryan plans to mow the patch very soon to keep the thistle going to seed.

This small patch of sudangrass is located on the margin of an excellent looking soybean crop. The beans are in first-year transition to organic and surprisingly clean. The previous year, corn was grown and Liberty herbicide was used. 2009 has been unusually cool and wet. It is speculated that the relatively weedless beans and yellow, stunted sudangrass might be due to herbicide carry-over from 2008. The weak sudangrass stand is not expected to be very effective in suppressing the thistle, and Ryan will plan to redo this project in 2010. Brix reading on the sudangrass was 10.