de•re•cho [dāˈrāˌCHō]
A widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms known as a mesoscale convective system. Derechos can cause hurricane-force winds, tornadoes, heavy rains, and flash floods.
August 10, 2020 Derecho: Lowest angle NWS radar reflectivity at one-hour time steps
Credit: NWS Chicago | weather.gov
On the morning of August 10, 2020, shortly before 8:00 am CDT, heavy thunderstorms began forming in southern South Dakota and northern Nebraska and traveled eastward toward the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers. By 8:00 pm CDT that evening, the Midwest Derecho had traveled 770 miles to the western border of Ohio – setting records for an area affected by a thunderstorm system (90,000 square miles) and highest winds recorded (almost 140 mph). In its wake, straight-line winds devastated communities and crops causing approximately $11 billion in damages – making it the costliest thunderstorm in US history.
August 10, 2020 Derecho: Crop damage visible from satellite
Credit: NASA Worldview | MODIS Satellite
Damage to crops in Iowa alone, the state hardest hit by the storm, totaled 3.57 million acres of corn and 2.5 million acres of soybeans with an economic impact of $800 million. In addition, the number of acres flattened and damaged severely enough to be a total loss was approximately 550,000. The challenges of unharvested, flattened crops include prolonged biomass dry-down, volunteer corn growth the following crop year, and delayed spring planting due to slow breakdown of residue. Farmers with total loss fields desiring to effectively cut up and incorporate plant residue faced the additional challenge of limited tillage tool options.
Mach Till 302 tilling derecho-damaged corn
Credit: Kinze Manufacturing, Inc.
Fortunately, many farmers discovered the heavy-built Kinze Mach Till high-speed disk was up to the challenge. In many cases, farmers were simply looking for a way to speed up the natural process of breaking down the biomass, while others wanted to make sure any remaining ear corn would sprout, emerge and die down during the winter. Yet other farmers desired to prepare a seedbed for planting cover crop for erosion control or livestock grazing. Whatever the case, farmers discovered that Mach Till was more than capable at fully tilling their damaged crops at high speeds.
Not only does the Mach Till high-speed disk work in the adverse conditions created by a derecho, but it is also the only tillage tool you will need for normal spring and fall tillage. By combining the benefits of vertical tillage, conventional horizontal tillage, and soil finishing into one machine, it operates at high speeds without creating compaction layers, while producing an eye-appealing finish.
View how the Kinze Mach Till took on the challenge of downed crops in the aftermath of the 2020 Midwest Derecho.
Learn more about the five different Mach Till models, their features, and their benefits.
