Fall or spring harrowing

[workboots]

I like to hit the wheat stubble in the fall and canola in the spring. Reasoning behind this is multi factorial. Main reason for fall wheat stubble is that I don’t like to dust the soil up in the spring before seeding canola. The wheat stubble holds up better in falls but the trash is spread even.
With regards to canola stubble, it doesn’t hold up to the harrows in the fall and it would seem that the snow catch is lost. The other noticeable effect is that the canola plant material will break down and leave almost a bare ground in the spring. This further reduces soil moisture as the mulch effect is lost. I have noticed that most of the yield loss on wheat is due to a dry spell that occurs when high vegetation and high transpiration deplete soil moisture reserves into July.

I also find that the spring harrowing on canola stubble cuts the slim off the ground and maybe helps us get in the field a little earlier without having issues with mud on the packers.

what are others finding? any observations that I’m not aware of?

[LEP]

We prefer fall harrowing on cereal stubble. Seals soil and feathers the straw.

Sometimes we harrowing canola stubble in the fall if the straw is quite long. Helps throw some dirt on any seed left from shatter or thrown over.

Don't like spring harrowing as it sets the ground like cement and makes for lumpy field finish after seeding.