Good soil-seed contact is critical for small grain stand development, and drilling through crop residues on the soil surface can make uniform seed placement at the proper depth much more difficult. Consequently, successful no-till production begins at harvest of the previous crop. Crop residues need to be uniformly distributed across the soil surface. Uneven crop residue is one of the major causes of poor stands. A chaff spreader can improve residue distribution and the ability to drill the small grain seed.
Opinions differ about the impact shredding corn residues has on drilling small grains.
Some growers get better drill performance if corn is harvested and shredded well in advance of drilling small grains. This appears to be the result of getting the corn residues down onto the soil surface where moisture can foster decomposition. When corn is harvested close to planting small grains, the effectiveness of shredding differs from farm to farm. Other drills seem to perform better when the stalks are mowed. When starting no-till, leaving strips of mowed and unmowed corn stalks and comparing drill performance in both will help the grower determine which approach is best with specific equipment.