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C IL | Well, if you are willing to experiment over multiple years, start from the top with a single row of basins and see how far downhill you get before you start seeing gullies again. This is cheaper up-front. May result in more expensive overall project if more basin alignments and tile runs are required later, but my fields all need tile anyway, so it works out in the end.
Rather than curve with the contour, we are putting in basins parallel with the AB lines and blocking straight uphill, making a 90-degree corner, where required. Swath control and clutches solve a lot of point-row troubles, but large machinery requires huge radius-of-curvature to avoid twisting the inner-most planter row units.
Terrace spacing is calculated to stop sheet and rill erosion. If you are treating that with no-till and only trying to stop gullies, you may be able to space your basins out farther than typical recommended terrace spacings.
On this farm, we are taking out multiple fingered waterways that were put in as stop-gap solutions on slopes such as you describe. We are replacing with a top alignment of linear basins. We are using 180-ft spacing (where a second line of basins is required). Compatible with today's 8-30 corn heads and 24-30 planter AB lines. Compatible with tomorrow's 12-30 heads and 36-30 planters.
We are putting in narrow bases (15-20 ft grassed). Again, swath control will save the grass and big equipment is less compatible with broad base stuff, unless you farm straight over it (and drag it down each year).
Good luck. It's a big expensive decision with long term consequences. If you end up going wih basins, I would be out there with my planting tractor laying out AB lines. Nothing worse than a supposedly straight terrace that is laid out out-of-square with the world. Been there, still fighting the stupidity of it all every year. | |
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To Terrace or not toTerraces that is the question?
