Heron Lake watershed conservation strip tillage demonstration

Excerpt

Because of a shared interest in preserving our soils and improving water quality, the Heron Lake Watershed District, North Heron Lake Game Producers Association, University of Minnesota Extension, Fairland Management, Alba Grain Inc., Vern Uit de Flesch, and Pietz Farms formed a partnership to conduct an on-farm comparison of several conservation tillage systems. Applications for funding resulted in a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The conservation tillage demonstration site, established in the fall of 2005, includes strip-till, one pass, no-till, chisel plow, ridge-till, and chisel plow with an alternate fertilizer program.

Soil erosion from cropped agricultural land continues to be a significant source of sediment in surface waters and also results in an irreversible loss in soil productivity. Soil detachment and transport can be effectively reduced in row crops by maintaining plant residue of the previous crop until the new crop canopy closes.

Strip tillage is a promising and relatively new conservation tillage system that removes residue in the fall from a narrow 6- to 10-inch (15.24- to 25.4-cm) wid strip where the crop will be planted in th spring. Residue is maintained between throws. …