conservationtillageintheunitedstatesanoverview.docVIP

CONSERVATION TILLAGE IN THE UNITED STATES: AN OVERVIEW Daniel Walters and Paul Jasa Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Nebraska – Lincoln U.S.A. INTRODUCTION The growth of agricultural production in the United States over the past 100 years has followed the westward expansion of population across the North American continent. In the 1930’s, the Dust Bowl, which resulted from a severe long-term drought and excessive tillage, prompted the formation of the U.S. Soil Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service NRCS) and a concerted effort to improve soil conservation practices to preserve soil resources for future generations. There are currently 295 million acres ((120 Mha) of cropland in the U.S. subject to some form of tillage. Significant advances in machinery and cropping systems as well socioeconomic changes in U.S. agriculture and government programs have influenced the rate of conservation tillage (CT) adaptation in the US. This paper will briefly outline the state of CT in the US with a discussion of the principal determinants governing adaptation of CT across the nation. DEFINITIONS (5) Conservation Tillage (CT): Any tillage and planting system that covers 30 percent or more of the soil surface with crop residue, after planting, to reduce soil erosion by water. Where wind erosion is the primary concern, any system that maintains at least 1,000 lb/acre (( 1.1 Mg/ha) of flat, small grain residue equivalent on the surface throughout the critical wind erosion period. The following define three broad classes of conservation tillage. No-till or Strip-till (NT): A tillage/planting system where the soil is left undisturbed from harvest to planting except for nutrient injection. Planting is accomplished in a narrow seedbed or slot created by coulters, row cleaners, row chisels or roto tillers. Weed control is accomplished primarily with herbicides. Less than 25% row width disturbance is considered no-ti