Continuing Education and
Communication Services
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
10/25/01
Contacts:
Mark Hanna, Ag and Biosystems Engineering, (515) 294-0468, hmhanna@iastate.edu
Mahdi Al-Kaisi, Department of Agronomy, (515) 294-1923, malkaisi@iastate.edu
Del Marks, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-9807,
delmarks@iastate.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Farmers Advised to Think About 2002 Tillage Now
AMES, Iowa -- An ISU agronomist and agricultural engineer want to know if Iowa's farmers have started thinking about next year's tillage operations. Mahdi Al-Kaisi and Mark Hanna say that identifying, planning for, and implementing a tillage strategy for 2002 will take time -- and now is the perfect time to start planning.
"There are several conservation tillage options for the 2002 crop year," says Hanna. "Farmers can go with ridge tillage, fall strip tillage, or no till, but there's a lot involved in doing it right. Converting to any new tillage practice requires specific equipment management, possibly handling new products, and site-specific suitability. It also requires producers to know the advantages and disadvantages of the practice and how to handle them -- all part of learning how to implement and manage conservation practices properly."
In ridge tillage, crops are planted on exposed ridges that rise four to six inches above the surface of the surrounding field. The ridged, dark soil warms and dries more quickly than the surrounding soil, which improves germination and crop growth. The results are faster crop canopy development and yield improvement.
"In fall strip tillage, on the other hand, the soil is tilled in six- to eight-inch wide strips, using modified anhydrous ammonia applicator knives, roto-tillers, in row chisels, row cleaners, cultivator sweeps, double discs, or other implements," said Al-Kaisi. "The tillage zone provides relative positions for seeds, fertilizers and anhydrous ammonia."
No till is a system that leaves the soil undisturbed year around. The only 'tillage' is the soil disturbance in a narrow slot created by coulters to create a seedbed.
Al-Kaisi says that the consensus among experts pegs effective conservation tillage programs as those that leave at least 30 percent crop residue on the soil's surface after planting. "That means hands-on management of variables like soil type, slope, crop rotation and being careful about field operations, such as knifing in nitrogen or manure. No matter what, the goal is to leave 30 percent of last year's crop residue cover after planting. That can be a challenge, especially after soybeans, and it's clear that the timing of tillage (fall vs. spring) has significant impact on amount of effective residue cover."
Both Hanna and Al-Kaisi say that reported yield reductions under some conservation tillage systems are not necessarily caused by the conservation tillage system, but rather due to not managing the system properly. And both add that conservation tillage practice can reduce fuel costs, save time, and conserve moisture while reducing erosion.
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