Whalen rolls soybeans for yield, smooth harvest

STREATOR, Ill. — Passersby to one of Jay Whalen’s soybean fields may take a second glance when they see him driving a roller over his crop.

Whalen has made land rolling part of his soybean management program for over a decade and sees results in added bushels and less breakdowns at harvest.

“I’ve had the land roller for 10, 12 years. It’s not a crimper type. It’s just a smooth Rite Way land roller and it’s kind of one of the most used tools on the farm anymore,” he said.

“I have ended up seeing anywhere from a 2- to 5-bushel increase on the yield for beans. I try to roll the beans in that V1 to V4 stage. That’s the ideal time. It needs to be hot and dry when you do it, also. That’s the secret to it.

“I got across almost 2,000 acres in three days. It’s nice rolling 15 miles an hour. I can get across a lot of acres fast.”

The practice of rolling soybeans became popular years ago in western Minnesota, the Dakotas and parts of Iowa initially to help manage rocky soils by pushing rocks below the surface so at harvest growers can place the combine head lower to ensure more pods are captured. It also helps crush corn root balls and soil clods to help smooth the seedbed for harvest.

From a plant development standpoint, rolling soybeans can also, if done at the right time and with the right conditions, encourage additional node and pod sets.

“It makes them bushier. You just wound them a little bit. Some guys use Cobra to sting them to make them do that. The roller is less invasive than using chemicals, and you just kind of wound them, crimp them, whatever, and it just ends up making them bushier, thrive better and fill the 30-inch rows in a little better,” Whalen said.

“The other reason why I really like doing it is come fall harvest time, it’s like combining on concrete. It just is nice, smooth and level. I have not changed a sickle guard or sickle section in the 10, 12 years I’ve had it.

“So, to me, it’s almost a no-brainer. Having no downtime at harvest is well worth it and really just makes it. The stalks are gone — crushed. I get a nice clean sample. No dirt in the sample of the beans. It’s just beautiful at harvest time.

“So, beside the yield increase, the harvestability is a lot better. It makes it nice.”

Whalen’s land roller is 42 feet wide when its three sections are folded out and weighs 43,000 pounds.

“A lot of people think that I’m causing compaction issues, but in reality the roller weight is evenly distributed and is only producing 3 pounds per square inch of pressure on the ground. Our footsteps are 5 pounds per square inch,” he said.

“It’s so dispersed and widespread that I’m not causing any compaction issues or problems. I’m just basically crimping beans, pushing the stalks down and getting the benefits of having nothing there in the fall.”