University of Minnesota Extension begins its 2026 Strategic Farming seminar series with this issue because the yield losses due to compaction hit nearly every farmer. The good news: there are lots of researchers working on the issue. Regional Educator Jodi DeJong-Hughes, who specializes in soil health, took a sabbatical to focus deeper learning on compaction, visiting with scientists and farmers across the region who have dug into compaction and learned methods to alleviate it. Among the key finding she will share: it pays to keep to a limited number of wheel tracks (rather than taking heavy equipment across different parts of fields); the more axles the better; double and triple wheel arrays spread the weight, as does tire deflation (when the type of tire allows it); and leave the grain cart at the edge of the field—especially as it gets full it can compact the soil as much as three feet deep.
“Compaction has been a growing problem,” DeJong-Hughes reported. “It’s partly to do with the equipment size getting bigger, but it also has to do with raising a limited number of crops. Adding perennials to rotations, or using cover crops, or employing a number of soil health techniques, can build the soil structure that can better support heavy equipment.”
On the widely held notion that driving in different parts of the field can reduce compaction, DeJong-Hughes warns that 80% of compaction happens in the first pass, so it makes more sense to follow a limited number of tire tracks, when possible.
The Strategic Farming series convenes as a weekly video conference, offered every Wednesday, from 9 to 10 a.m., January through March. Registration will include a link good for all sessions. Other topics that will be covered include farm finance; new this year, creating pollinator-friendly areas in your operation (Feb. 12); how to forecast for the particular pest and weed pressures in your operation this year; cover crops; and more. According to Stahl, topics have been selected based on farm operator feedback, as well as the current projects of U of MN researchers and extension educators. If readers don’t see a topic of interest in the 2026 series, University of Minnesota Extension encourages people to offer suggestions for other seminar topics here.