Residue management is the practice of leaving last year's crop residue on the soil surface by limiting tillage. Conservation tillage practices will leave at least 30% of the soil surface covered with crop residue that will attain sufficient residue management. Three of the techniques used to meet the 30% residue coverage rate are no-till, mulch till and ridge till.

Purpose:
* Reduce sheet and rill erosion,
* Reduce wind erosion,
* Improve soil organic matter content,
* Reduce CO2 losses from the soil,
* Reduce soil particulate emissions,
* Increase plant-available moisture,
* Provide food and escape cover for wildlife.

Conservation tillage is effective for controlling soil erosion and helps control loss of nutrients that are attached to soil particles. Time, energy and labor savings from fewer tillage trips are related benefits of reduced tillage. These savings can help offset the cost of tillage equipment needed to attain sufficient residue management. Residue management also helps maintain or develop good soil health, improve water infiltration and reduce evaporation from the soil surface while providing food and cover for wildlife.

The practice of residue management (<30% residue) creates additional challenges for the farmer. Crop rotation, soil texture and drainage, and climate are factors that must be considered. In general, well-drained soils are better suited to reduced tillage than poorly drained soils. Soil warming and drying can be delayed in the spring if high levels of residue are left on poorly drained soils.

No-Till: this practice includes planting methods commonly referred to as no-till, strip till, direct seed, zero till, slot till or zone till. Approved implements are: no-till and strip-till planters; certain drills and air seeders; strip-type fertilizer and manure injectors and applicators; in-row chisels; and similar implements that only disturb strips and slots. All others are considered to be full-width or capable of full disturbance and therefore not compatible.
* Residue shall not be burned,
* All residue shall be uniformly distributed over the entire field,
* No full-width tillage shall be performed regardless of the depth of the tillage operation,
* Removing crop residue, such as by baling or grazing, can have a negative impact on resources,
* Leaving stubble taller than the minimum required will increase the relative humidity close to the soil surface, which reduces the rate of evaporative loss from the soil,
* Leaving stubble taller than the 10-inch minimum will trap more snow and provide better protection to plants from freezing or desiccation,
* Variable-height stubble patterns may be created to further increase snow storage,
* Performing all field operations on the contour will slow overland flow and allow more opportunity for infiltration.

Use of no-till for all crops in the rotation or cropping system can enhance the positive effects of this practice:
* increasing the rate of soil organic matter accumulation,
* keeping soil in a consolidated condition, which provides additional resistance to sheet and rill erosion,
* sequestering more carbon in the soil,
* further reducing the amount of particulate matter generated by field operations,
* forming root channels and other near-surface voids that increase infiltration.

Mulch-Till: this practice includes tillage methods commonly referred to as mulch tillage or chiseling and disking. It applies to stubble mulching on summer-fallowed land, to tillage for annually planted crops and to tillage for planting perennial crops. It also includes some planting operations, such as hoe drills, air seeders and "no-till" drills that disturb a large percentage of the soil surface during the planting operation. It leaves at least 30% of the soil surface covered by crop residue.

Ridge Till: is the practice of annually building a ridge for each of crop, and planting the crop seed in that ridge the next spring.

For more information contact your local Natural Resources Conservation (NRCS) Office:
* McLeod County NRCS: 320-864-5176 ext. 3
* Renville County NRCS: 320-523-3768 ext. 3
* Sibley County NRCS: 320-237-5435 ext. 3