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NE CO | In response to Matt's comment below, this field had been in a four year no-till rotation of wheat, corn, millet, wheat. When it doesn't rain, you just don't produce enough residue to provide the benefits of no-till. Without adequate residue, the next crop fails to thrive, and the problem compounds; less residue this year means less residue next year. Admittedly, these were unusually dry years, but sometimes you have to admit defeat and throw in a year of fallow in order to establish residue levels to make the system work. I am sure some will disagree with me but it seems that the mellow soil that is a result of long term no-till is more prone to blowing if no residue is present to protect it. I have been in a complete no-till situation for almost 15 years, much of it in a continuous crop rotation. The recent series of dry years has forced me to reintroduce summerfallow into my rotation and incorporate tillage at times to create enough surface roughness to inhibit wind erosion. This years abundant rains is providing excellent crops and residue for future years. I hope to be able to go back to my complete no-till system again. | |
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Tillage Question for Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas Farmers
