With this years drought conditions there is less residue than normal in many fields. In some, the crop was harvested as a forage or cut as silage, leaving very little residue at all. Without residue to absorb the energy of raindrop impact and keep the wind off the soil surface, soil erosion will be greater and surface crusting could be a problem. Also, without the water-conserving residue mulch, soil moisture losses by evaporation will be much higher.

No-tiller Jerry Whipple is doing his best to keep his fields green and nearby Lake Erie blue.

Just when you thought scorching droughts were becoming the “new normal” in agriculture, a weather-research firm told the farm media at last week’s Farm Progress Show that 2013 will likely be nothing like 2012.

Soil organic matter (SOM) provides many benefits for crop production in Kansas. Higher SOM levels mean better soil aggregation, improved water infiltration, less compactability, less erodibility, and a generally higher level of productivity due to more available water and nutrients.

How do you use vertical-tillage tools on your farm?

Iowa conservationists with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are disturbed by the number of row-crop farmers using vertical tillage tools.