Is Precision Conservation Practical?

I read an article in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation today that proposed the premise that it is possible to grow and mange different crops in the same field for different purposes.The looked at Switchgrass and corn. Some of the corn was harvested for biomass as well as grain.  The switchgrass was harvested for biomass.  I see lots of barriers to implementation on a large scale, but it was interesting to see that it was even possible. Unfortunately, I can only share the abstract.

Getting Residue to Break Down

Why do we want residue to break down anyway?  Some say we want to release the nutrients.  That may be especially true in the case of nitrogen. More likely we don't want to tie up the nitrogen with residue breakdown because we want it to be furnishing nutrients for our crop.

No-till Farmer ran this article on residue breakdown , but it offers little in the "how" department. One of the reasons I see for wanting residue to break down, is for soil warmth and aeration.  If we are in a high residue cropping system, if the soil is completely covered, it may keep soil wet in the spring. Properly done vertical tillage can help break up the residue and start decomposition in three ways.  One is that we make the pieces smaller. Two is that we mix in small bits of soil which contains microbes that inoculate the residue to decompose.  Three is that we expose a bit of soil to allow improved air and water movement.  Keep in mind that vertical tillage should be shallow and should not bury residue.  Another tool that will have the same effect is the Aerway.  If those tools are not available, a very light disking could help.  The disk should be in the ground an inch or less.

Some people like a bit of UAN over the top to break up residue.  The shortcoming is that it is really a waste of nitrogen.  Something else to keep in mind is that the root residue in the soil maybe more of a drag on yields in corn on corn than the  residue on top. Perhaps a small amount of nitrogen incorporated would help with that issue.  The residue on the surface is not really the problem with nitrogen tie-up, because it has limited contact with the rooting zone.

Good drainage is also important for good residue breakdown.  Tile drainage will promote better aeration, but even good surface drainage can help.

International Year of Soils

I am happy to be alive in the International Year of Soils.  The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FAO is sharing lots of information on soils.  USDA is kicked off the celebration yesterday.  Soil Science Society of America has lots of resources to help you learn more. 

I am pleased to see the importance of soils recognized.  I began my USDA career with Soil Conservation Service.  The agency emphasis on soils made them very unique. We worked with private land owners on soil conservation issues, but the effect on the environment was across the board.  If you conserve soil, you also improve wildlife habitat, you clean up surface water, you improve crop productivity, and touch the environment in many other ways.  I liked the emphasis.  In 1994, Soil Conservation Service became Natural Resources Conservation Service.  Agency leaders wanted to emphasize that they worked with all resources.  That is fine, but it took the spotlight off of the fact that soil is the key to life. 

I will try and do a monthly feature to join in the celebration.

Is Your Farm Eroding Excessively?

Kansas State University is developing protocols for Identifying Erosion Vulnerability Using Aerial Imagery and Terrain Maps.  I agree that their methodology is one way to look at erosion.  My 37 years of experience as a soil conservation professional tells me that if you can see where soil has moved, then you have a problem.  You can look for sheet movement, small rills, gullies, and areas of deposition.  Yes the soil in those depositional areas had to come from somewhere.  A soil conservation professional can use the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to evaluate the extent of the erosion.  The computer model for calculating soil loss is called RUSLE2. Certainly aereal photography and topographic maps can help in determining the acreage that is subject to excessive erosion.  That is just the beginning of developing solutions.  Revising tillage operations, using cover crops, and including hay and grass in your rotation may be appropriate to your operation.  A conservation professional can help you with your decisions.  Your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office is the place to start looking for help.  You can also seek out a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control. 

All Grass Terraces

This is one of the first harvested fields I have seen in Montgomery County.  Weeds are making the all grass narrow base terraces in the background show up well. Narrow base terraces are versatile because they can be laid out to handle most machinery widths and you don't need to worry about flexibility on the ridges.  Weeds could be controled better by a burn when the weeds freze or in the spring.  Seitchgrass is a good native species to use in these situations. 

Effects of No-Till on Soil Organic Carbon

I previously shared information from Dr. Ken Olson of the University of Illinois concerning whether or not No-Till increases Soil Organic Carbon.  Dr. Olson has recently teamed up with other researchers in the Midwest to take a more broad look at the subject.  In this news article No-Till soil organic carbon sequestration rates are questioned by Dr. Olson and others.  Let's be clear that nobody is saying that No-till is a bad thing.  Dr. Olson is dedicated to soil conservation and the positive effect that No-till has on soil loss is not questioned. 

Narrow Base Terraces

Narrow Base Terraces in Logan County.  Base is 16 feet wide and they are parallel, so relatively east to farm. You really need to click on the  picture for a good view.

Does Conservation Farming Pay?

In the world of soil conservation, there is sometimes a perception that No-Till and other soil saving practices sound good on paper, but can the producer afford the yield hit.  Researchers in Michigan have found that farming for ecological benefits does pay.  It pays for all of us in environmental benefits.  Not just the farmer.  That explains why we should use taxpayer dollars to support soil conservation. 

Vertical Tillage and Soil Conservation

Vertical tillage can be a useful tool in soil management and conservation.  When I started working for Soil Conservation Service in the late 70's we were starting to talk about keeping the soil surface covered to reduce soil erosion.  The Universal Soil loss equation said that reside cover was the primary means to control erosion on cropland.  In those days, conservation tillage methods usually left us with 50% residue or less on the surface.  No-till was the way to go on steeper soils because it was the only way to get 80% residue on the surface after planting.

I remember doing a conservation compliance check on someone who had a plan that called for 60% residue on the surface.  To achieve that level in those days, no-till was the only way to go.  It was obvious that the land had been tilled, but he had the residue cover so he passed.  This ground had been worked with an early vertical tillage tool.

Soil Conservation Service and its successor agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service continued to research soil erosion and found that soil erodability factors were too high, and that crop residue protected even better than original estimates.  That is the good news.  The bad news is that any soil disturbance increased soil loss even with high amounts of residue.  So, if the machinery salesman is telling you that vertical tillage is just as good for your conservation plan as no-till or strip till, take a conservative approach.  Ask NRCS to review your conservation plan and see if you will still be legal.

No-till Farmer publicized this webinar on conservation tillage.  While soils and rainfall may affect your soil loss numbers differently than they do in Kansas, a lot of what is said has applicability everywhere.  It takes about an hour to watch.  

Conservation Repairs

Dry weather is making this a good time to do repairs on conservation practices that were overtaxed in the wet spring.  You can see in the top photo where the ridge overtopped this spring and washed a gully.  Timely repairs keep the situation from getting worse.  The customer is using a farm tractor and scraper.  You can see how good it looks in the bottom photo.  Top it off with a cover crop to hold the soil till spring. 

Water and Sediment Control basin overtopped this spring

A big tractor with a scraper makes the repair short work. 

Cleaning out the basin adds capacity for next year. 

Grass Hedges

I recently ran across my Soil Science Society of America CD for 2012.  Many of the articles as usual are difficult to understand and apply, but one by Seth M. Dabney, Glenn V. Wilson, Keith C. McGregor (retired) and Dalmo A. N. Vieira all of USDA's Ag Research Service (ARS) entitled Runoff Through and Upslope of Contour Switchgrass Hedges.  They found that strips of switchgrass, a native warm season grass, can reduce runoff leaving the field and also reduce sediment leaving the field when planted on the contour.  Runoff reduction is kind of technical so I won't go into that, but the hard numbers on the sediment showed a 75% reduction in the amount of sediment leaving the field.  The implication of this is that a viable alternative to improve erosion control in problem areas maybe to plant about a 5 foot wide strip of switchgrass on the contour.  The switchgrass is easily established and relatively easy to maintain and control. 

Erosion was a Problem this Spring

We had several storms this spring in the 3 inch plus range.  Very few farmers came through the spring without any erosion, but some were worse than others.  I have been wanting to write this blog since I took the pictures, but wanted to have time to do it justice.  The photo below shows an ephemeral gully on a hillside planted to corn.  The gully will be erased by tillage, but a grassed waterway or Water and Sediment Control Basins would help control this type of erosion. It also might save a broken axle.

The waterway below has an Ephemeral Gully parallel with it.  this problem can be avoided by planting and tilling as close as possible to perpendicular to the Grassed Waterway. 

Erosion is being held in check below by the crop residue from last year.   

This photo below is from the same field as above There was not as much residue on the slope and more  was needed to control erosion.  No-till would be in order on these kinds of slopes.

Below is a grassed waterway under construction

Even though the field has lots of eroding area, the dry dam below is keeping most of the sediment on the farm.

In the field below a water and sediment control basin was effective in controlling ephemeral gullies and trapping sediment. 

The draw below has a Grassed Waterway in it, but not far enough up the hill.  

 The Ephemeral gully below is in the center of a newly constructed grassed waterway.  A way to fix the problem is to backfill with sod or use rock checks.  

Erosion and Sediment Control

I was able to capture this picture of a Water and Sediment Control Basin AKA - WASCOB, Little Dry Dam, and etc.  With several rainfall events over 3 inches, we are seeing more than our share of erosion.  This practice is good for controlling gullies and reducing the amount of sediment leaving the farm.  It is a good practice on short choppy slopes. The dark area has a fresh layer of sediment on it

Conservation in Action

Huge amounts of rain over Illinois will postpone planting maybe for weeks.  More rain in the forecast on Monday certainly does not get anyone's  hopes up.

I was able to get some shot yesterday of conservation practices doing what they are supposed to do.  The grassed waterway is conveying water safely off the field.  You can see that the outlet is an old concrete block toewall structure that is still working,  The tile outlet terraces below that are holding back water for slow release.  That water will be drained off in 24 hours or less.  If you look closely you can see the wire cage riser.  The terraces also act to remove sediment from the water. 

The bottom photograph is just to show general wetness in the fields.  I did not travel anywhere without seeing water ponding in fields.  All the new tile installed in the last few years is being put to the test.

Grassed Waterway with toewall structure

Tile Outlet Terrace

Ponding North of Hillsboro

Soil And Water Conservation Districts

Tonight I am off to Montgomery County Soil and water Conservation District annual meeting.  Many people do not know that soil and water conservation districts are a local unit of government authorized by states in which they are located.  In Illinois, most of the Districts have boundaries that correspond with county boundaries.  They generally have little or no taxing authority.  Most of their funding comes from the state.

Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District has been around since 1941.  IT is one of the oldest in Illinois.  Their function is to support and promote soil and water conservation work within their boundaries,  In Illinois, districts also administer some state cost sharing funds that go to farmers to help with installing conservation practices.  They also act as an advisory board for local offices of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service.  The annual meeting is a chance for the district to hear reports on conservation activities within the county.  My job tonight is to report on the activities of on of the district's committees I serve on.  I am member of the Natural Areas Guardians. 

Pond Construction

I took the photo below to show a good example of pond construction.  I first designed a pond in class in college.  I probably did not learn how to design ponds really well until I was A District Conservationist for NRCS.  The pond below is actually a rebuild of an old pond.  The old pond had silted in because of upstream soil erosion.  You can see the dredged material on the left.  In the center I circled the principal spillway which is an eight inch dual wall conduit.  It looks similar to plastic field tile but it is much thicker.  The end is cut at and angle and has an endcap on it so that it will fully charge.  It is important to charge a pipe because it can vibrate so badly it will wash out if it does not flow full.  The other good thing about the pipe is that it is 3 to 4 feet below the top of the dam.  That will also help it to flow properly.  The emergency spillway is on the right.  IT is kind of rough looking, but it will do the job.  The bottom of the emergency spillway is lower than the top of the dam.  It is built mainly by excavation so that there is no fill material that will settle and cause it to fail.  This pond is not perfect, but it has all the elements that will make it work right.  Sediment entering the pond will be greatly reduced because the producer is now using conservation tillage and he has some nice grassed waterways that carry the water into the pond.  There is a small sediment basin at the upper end.  The one improvement I would recommend is that a dry dam should constructed on the upper end to catch sediment.  Click on the phonograph to enlarge.

Rehabbed Pond

Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl of the 1930's is probably the biggest natural disaster in the history of the United States in terms of land area and length of time.  It brought huge changes to the business of farming.  Dee Ann Littefield of NRCS wrote an article that appears in No-Till Farmer.  It is a first hand account of what it was  like living in the southern great plains in the 1930's.  As the generation who lived in that time passes on, it is important that we keep the memory of the Dust Bowl alive.  Many younger farmers look at their erosive land with no memory of what it looked like when erosion was not under control.  With bigger machinery there is a temptation to take out conservation practices without replacing them.  We need to keep in mind what could happen to the land if we return to past abuses. 

Ken Burns gave the Dust Bowl serious treatment in his latest film on PBS.   I missed all but one hour of it which was very well done as we have come to expect from Burns.  I am going to need to watch it online or download to Itunes sometime.

Hugh Hammond Bennett, a soil scientist and the founder of Soil Conservation Service is called the Father of Soil Conservation.  Dr. Bennett's life story is very interesting.  His biography is also given in the form of a PBS Special. 

Old Conservation Practices

The aluminum surface inlet below caught my eye earlier this week.  Surface inlets are used to channel surface water into underground tile in shallow ponded areas, water and sediment control basins and tile outlet terraces.   They are also called risers.  The aluminum inlet was one that was used in the 70's when these things were first introduced.  The advantage is they never rust out.  The disadvantage is that if you  hit one with your machinery, you are likely to break off the inlet and break the tile it is attached to.  The orange inlet below is a trademark of a plastic inlet manufacture by Hickenbottom.  The plastic inlets are very tough.  They are in two pieces and the top piece can break away from the bottom without doing much damage.  If the farmer is not too tough on them, all he needs to do is get off the tractor and put it back in place.  The aluminum inlet that is still working is kind of a tribute to the care that has been taken by machinery operators in farming around it all these years. 

Tillage - Roughness and Residue

Both the pictures below are taken on fairly flat land, but they illustrate a point very well.  Soils this fall are for the most part very mellow.  Dry weather prevented a lot of the puddling we have grown accustomed to in the recent past wet years. Crop residue is not heavy because of drought and poor yields.  Crop residue helps prevent both wind and water erosion.  The top picture was actually from a field that had decent yields all things considered.  The producer used a vertical tillage tool to chop up his residue and then he went in a chisel plowed it.  The chisel plow buried most of the residue; in addition, the mellow soil broke apart easily and left very little surface roughness.  The lack of roughness and residue leaves the soil vulnerable to both wind and water erosion.  The bottom picture does not have much more residue that the top one, but at least there is some roughness to break up the fall  of the raindrop and slow down soil movement on windy days.   The point of this discussion is that our soils are in good shape to do minimal tillage this fall.  In addition, if your conservation plan on highly erodible land calls for 30% residue, care is needed to make sure you don't bury it all. 

Vertical tilled and chiseled

Chiseled and rough

Rock Check

Rock Check

This is a rock check constructed across a grassed waterway to prevent wash outs.  Rock is poured into a trench about two feet deep and allowed to peak up above the ground,  The grass downstream should fill in.  I hada bit of sediment over it.