PRACTICE AND (Ac.) 329 INSERT PICTURE CRITERIA DEFINITION General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes Residue shall not be burned. Managing the amount, orientation and distribution of crop and other plant residue on All residues shall be uniformly distributed over the soil surface year round while limiting the entire field. disturbing activities to only those necessary to No full-width tillage shall be performed place nutrients, condition residue and plant regardless of the depth of the tillage operation. crops. Where combines or similar machines are used PURPOSE for harvesting, they shall be equipped with spreaders capable of distributing residue over Reduce energy use at least 80 percent of the working width of the Reduce sheet and rill erosion. header. Reduce wind erosion. A minimum of 30 per cent of the soil surface will be covered with dead plant material (crop Improve soil organic matter content. residue, cover crop residue, perennial sod, or Reduce CO2 losses from the soil. volunteer cover) immediately following the planting of the following crop. Reduce soil particulate emissions. Planters or drills shall be equipped to plant Increase plant-available moisture. directly through untilled residue or in a tilled Provide food and escape cover for wildlife. seedbed prepared in a narrow strip along each row by planter attachments such as coulters, CONDITIONS WHERE APPLIES subsoiler shanks, in-row chisels, rotary tillers, sweeps, or row cleaning devices. This practice applies to all cropland and other land where crops are planted. Residues shall not be burned. Also, they should not be disturbed by full-width tillage This practice includes planting methods operations except as follows: commonly referred to as no-till, strip till, direct seed, zero till, slot till or zone till. Approved Seedbed preparation, planting, and fertilizer implements are: no-till and strip-till planters; placement shall disturb no more than one-third certain drills and air seeders; strip-type of the row width. The row area formed by the fertilizer and manure injectors and applicators; planting operation shall be level with or slightly in-row chisels; and similar implements that above the adjacent row middles unless the only disturb strips and slots. All others are rows are planted on the contour. considered to be full-width or capable of full If row cultivation or spot treatment for weed disturbance and therefore not compatible. escapes, leveling ruts, or similar operations become necessary, tillage shall be limited to
(Ac.) 329 INSERT PICTURE DEFINITION Managing the amount, orientation and distribution of crop and other plant residue on the soil surface year round while limiting activities to only those necessary to place nutrients, condition residue and plant crops. PURPOSE Reduce energy use Reduce sheet and rill erosion. Reduce wind erosion. Improve soil organic matter content. Reduce CO2 losses from the soil. Reduce soil particulate emissions. Increase plant-available moisture. Provide food and escape cover for wildlife. CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES This practice applies to all cropland and other land where crops are planted. This practice includes planting methods commonly referred to as no-till, strip till, direct seed, zero till, slot till or zone till. Approved implements are: no-till and strip-till planters; certain drills and air seeders; strip-type fertilizer and manure injectors and applicators; in-row chisels; and similar implements that only disturb strips and slots. All others are considered to be full-width or capable of full disturbance and therefore not compatible. CRITERIA General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes Residue shall not be burned. All residues shall be uniformly distributed over the entire field. No full-width tillage shall be performed regardless of the depth of the tillage operation. Where combines or similar machines are used for harvesting, they shall be equipped with spreaders capable of distributing residue over at least 80 percent of the working width of the header. A minimum of 30 per cent of the soil surface will be covered with dead plant material (crop residue, cover crop residue, perennial sod, or volunteer cover) immediately following the planting of the following crop. Planters or drills shall be equipped to plant directly through untilled residue or in a tilled seedbed prepared in a narrow strip along each row by planter attachments such as coulters, subsoiler shanks, in-row chisels, rotary tillers, sweeps, or row cleaning devices. Residues shall not be burned. Also, they should not be disturbed by full-width tillage operations except as follows: Seedbed preparation, planting, and fertilizer placement shall disturb no more than one-third of the row width. The row area formed by the planting operation shall be level with or slightly above the adjacent row middles unless the rows are planted on the contour. If row cultivation or spot treatment for weed escapes, leveling ruts, or similar operations become necessary, tillage shall be limited to disturbing AND
Archived_No-tillStrip-tillDirect-till_Residue_&_Tillage_Mgt_(329)_Practice_Standard_161102.docx