The Crowner

     This sturdy looking piece of equipment is called a Crowner. Those of you who read the earlier post on alfalfa might remember that the "crown" is the part of the plant where the root and stems meet. This part of the plant is just under the ground, and the crowner's purpose is to cut it. Farmers do this to remove the alfalfa to make room for other crops.



     It's as simple as it looks. It's a platform for three massive V-shaped blades that are pulled through the ground. As you may be able to tell by the picture it can take quite a bit of tractor to do it. This particular patch of alfalfa is being removed to make way for spring wheat.

     Surprisingly, a few alfalfa will survive this. Some will be pulled up out of the ground and then the roots will grow back down, others may just slip around the edge of the blade, but for the most part the blade removes most of the plants. Once the crown is severed from the root, the alfalfa dies. It's nutrients will be returned to the soil to feed future crops.