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southern MN | Always seems good fall rough tillage here in my soil, my cold climate, my wet clays, my heavy snow meltoff results in less soil leaving my ptroperty than a smooth finish, or notill at all.
Smooth finish does allow the water to speed up and rush off the land, taking soil with it.
no tillage seems the trash from the previous year will wash off, to be found plugging tile intakes, or piled on fences, or eventually lodges in ditches.
Good deep rough tillage makes the water flow much slower, as it runs from one chunk to the next of the rough surface.
If you about loose a filling the next spring going over the ground with a field cultivator, you got it about right, won't see much runoff of soil or plant debris.
Not much difference between top soil & subsoil here, it is either deep peat ground or 130 feet of yellow/ blue clay, all the same.
As to moisture, in spring we have too much all but maybe 4 out of 100 years, so that sort of stuff we want to go away - hope it comes back again in July or August, but want to get rid of it in early spring....
Typically from December through March the ground here is frozen several feet deep, covered in snow, and does not move at all. The spring melt can create a lot of quick mositure that wants to run, and pool in the low spots, with the ground still frozen under it. This is probably different and needs different handling than manyt of you have to deal with. What I do 'here' would likely be a disater for some of you.
Perhaps 95% of the rowcrop land in my county gets a plow, chisel plow, or ripper every fall..... There are HEL rules, where a few bits of sidehill is left alone. I'd say you have to be careful it doesn't wash away if you treat that wrong - best to channel the water properly with the ripper so it doesn't create more problems, but govt rules are rules.....
--->Paul | |
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no till and water runoff
