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Fourteen Benefits for U.S. farmers and the Environment Through Crop Residue Management.

courtesy of Conservation Technology Information Center, West Lafayette, IN.

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The higher the levels of crop residue (stems, stalks, and leaves from the previous harvest) left on the surface of a field, the greater the benefits. Crop Residue Management (CRM) systems that leave 30 percent or more crop residue, after planting, are called conservation tillage systems.

Conservation tillage systems (no-till, ridge-till and mulch-till) offer the following economic and environmental benefits:

1. Reduced labor requirements - Conservation tillage systems are geared toward fewer trips through the field. For instance, no-till requires as little as one trip for planting compared to 2 or 3 tillage operations plus planting for conventional or intensive tillage operations. Fewer trips mean less labor, providing the opportunity to farm more acres. Less tillage also reduces labor requirements during planting season.

2. Time savings - Conservation tillage systems can reduce the amount of time required for preparing a field and planting by nearly 3 times per acre. Example: It may take 42 minutes per acre for a conventional tillage operation (moldboard plow, disc, field cultivate-twice, and plant) compared to 15 minutes per acre for a no-till system. For a 1,000 acre farm, the time savings would be 450 hours.

3. Reduced machinery wear - Making fewer trips across the field with a tractor and planter or drill reduces machinery wear and maintenance costs. No-till saves an estimated $5 per acre on maintenance costs compared to conventional tillage. On a 1,000 acre farm the savings would be $5,000.
4. Fuel savings - Fewer tillage trips through the field on a tractor, and decreased horsepower requirements, provided by no-till, reduce average fuel consumption from 5 gallons per acre for a conventional tillage system to 1.5 gallons per acre for a no-till system.
5. Higher soil moisture - Leaving crop residues on the soil surface reduces water evaporation in the top few inches of the soil. Depending on the amount of crop residue left on the surface and soil type, as much as 2 additional inches of water may be available for growing plants in late summer.
6. Reduced soil erosion - Crop residues on the soil surface reduce soil erosion from water and wind. Depending on the amount of crop residues left on the soil surface, soil erosion can reduce up to 90% of the erosion that would usually occur on an unprotected, intensively tilled field.
7. Improved surface water quality - Crop residues help hold soil particles and associated nutrients and pesticides on the field. For instance, herbicide runoff can be cut in half by conservation tillage on some sites.
8. Improved water infiltration - Crop residues act as tiny dams to slow water runoff from the field, allowing the water more time to soak into the soil. This soaking effect, known as infiltration, may increase the amount of water available to plants. Depending on the site, conservation tillage systems can generate enough infiltration to significantly reduce or, during less intensive storms, eliminate the amount of water runoff from a field. Earthworm and old root channels (macropores) also help improve infiltration.
9. increased organic matter - Crop residues on the surface of a field slowly decompose, building up organic matter in the top two or three inches of soil. Increases in organic matter will vary depending on crop rotation, parent vegetation, and latitude. Intensive tillage causes this benefit to be lost because it speeds the breakdown (oxidation) of crop residues.
10. Decreased compaction - Reduced weight and horsepower requirements with no-till, can help minimize compaction. Up to 80 percent of soil compaction in the wheel zone occurs with the first trip through the field. Additional traffic required by intensive tillage also breaks down the soil structure promoting compaction.
11. Improved soil tilth - No-till increases the soil particle aggregation (small soil clumps). The small aggregates make it easier for water to move through the soil and allow plants to use less energy to establish roots. Intensive tillage compresses and shears soil aggregates, increasing the possibility of compaction, erosion and runoff.
12. More wildlife - Crop residues provide shelter and food for wildlife, such as game birds and small animals.
13. Reduces release of carbon gases - Crop residues hold naturally occurring soil carbon in the soil for use as organic matter. Intensive tillage releases soil carbon into the atmosphere, as a gas, where it becomes carbon dioxide and may combine with other gases to contribute to the so-called "green house" effect.
14. Reduced air pollution - Less horsepower and fewer trips decrease the amount of time a tractor motor burns fuels that release carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. In addition, crop residue reduces wind erosion and the amount of dust in the air.

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