No-Till
What is No-Till?
No-till farming (also called zero tillage or direct drilling) is a way of growing crops or pasture from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage.
10 Ways to leave more residue
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Follow a crop rotation sequence with higher residue producing crops. Soybeans don't provide the same kind of protection as corn for example. Also, high yields give more residues.
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Wait until spring for tillage operations. This is most important on soybean ground. Fall tilled soybean ground is very vulnerable to wind erosion in late winter and early spring.
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Reduce the number of tillage passes. In most cases, this is as important as the type of tillage performed.
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Plant rye or wheat as winter cover crops. This is a good option when you are growing low-residue crops such as soybeans.
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Set chisels and disks to work shallower. Residues can be buried to the tillage depth.
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Stop using the moldboard plow.
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Drive slower on tillage operations. Driving faster throws more soil and covers more residue.
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Use straight shanks and sweeps on chisel plows instead of twister shanks. Twisted shanks may bury 20 percent more residue.
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No-till drill soybeans instead of planting them conventionally. No-till drilling keeps more residue on the soil surface, and generally produces a quicker canopy.
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Convert to a no-till system. No-till disturbs residue only in the row.
