Stalk choppers on combines used to be secondary to threshing and separating grain. But Bt cornstalks and improved small grain genetics, combined with reduced or no-till practices, ...

-- Automatic, self-adjusting deck plates: The header's plates self-adjust to the size of each stalk. "As different size stalks come in, the spring is constantly making thousands of decisions for ...

That goes up to $100,000 if you throw in the optional stalk choppers. "Normally, a chopping corn head takes a lot of horsepower," Peterson says.

The chopper will return to East Branch Dairy from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Sept. 8. Any Fond du Lac County resident or crop professional is welcome to bring stalk samples for testing on any of the ...