60 Ways - 2. Avoid Fall Tillage

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60 Ways Farmers Can Protect Surface Water

50 ways

57 ways

60 ways

Managing Surface Cover

1. Distribute residue evenly at harvest
2. Avoid fall tillage
3. Determine how your operations will affect residue cover
4. Estimate residue cover in the field
5. Adjust equipment to preserve residue
6. Plant a cover crop
7. Rotate crops
8. Select vigorous perennial pasture species
9. Protect the soil with special-use annual forage crops
10. Protect the soil with rotational grazing
11. Use no-till when renovating pasture
12. Manage timberland to protect soil

Controlling the Flow of Water

13. Reduce soil compaction and increase infiltration
14. Install grassed waterways
15. Plant vegetative filter strips or make critical area plantings
16. Farm on the contour
17. Use contour stripcropping and contour buffer strips
18. Install terraces
19. Install grade control structures
20. Install water and sediment control basin
21. Use diversions
22. Install a farm pond
23. Maintain your dtrainage system to protect surface water
24. Control streambank erosion with the willow-post method
25. Avoid channelization of streams and creeks

Managing Nutrients Effectively

26. Set realistic yield goals
27. Monitor the level of nutrients
28. Credit other nitrogen sources
29. Select nitrogen fertilizers wisely
30. Apply nitrogen in the spring
31. Apply fertilizer with a global positioning system

Managing Livestock Waste Effectively

32. Keep livestock out of water
33. Divert runoff water
34. Collect and store contaminated runoff
35. Install a vegetative filter - in appropriate
36. Determine accurate manure application equipment
37. Calibrate manure application equipment
38. Apply manure wisely

Reducing Insecticide Use

39. Scout fields for insects
40. Base decisions on the economic thresholds for insects
41. Use insect-resistant crop varieties
42. Use crop rotation and plant diversity to control insects
43. Spot-treat insect infestations when possible
44. Conserve beneficial insects

Reducing Herbicide Use

45. Scout for weeds and know their economic thresholds
46. Fine-tune your weed-control program to cut back on herbicides
47. Manage crops to compete aggressively with weeds
48. Don't assume that no-till requires more herbicide
49. Band herbicides and cultivate
50. Control weeds with cover crops

Selecting Pesticides

51. Select the leat-toxic pesticide
52. Determine your soil's potential for runoff
53. Determine your pesticide's potential for runoff
54. Determine the soil-pesticide interaction rating

Handling Pesticides Safely & Efficiently

55. Calibrate your sprayer
56. Consider direct injection and closed handling systems
57. Observe setback zones
58. Rinse and dispose of chemical containers safely
59. Dispose of excess chemical safely
60. Dispose of other farm waste safely

2. Avoid Fall Tillage
	Avoiding fall tillage can make a key difference in controlling erosion. Even if you end up tilling in the spring, you can buy yourself six to eight months of additional soil protection by not tilling in the fall. Chisel plowing in the fall can bury 40 to 70 percent of soybean residue and 30 to 50 percent of corn residue.
	One reason fall tillage is done is to combat soil compaction. But before considering deep tillage, make sure your soil is actually compacted. Know the signs: Reduced soil drainage, slow crop growth and root development, increased plant injury from some soil-applied herbicides, deformed or flattened roots, and poor soil structure.
	Avoiding tillage entirely—in both the fall and spring—remains a growing trend. In the face of a 5. 4 million-acre decline in total cropland during 1995, no-till was the only production system to gain acreage nationwide. In fact, no-till is approaching conventional tillage as the most common tillage system for soybeans.
	No-till corn dropped off a little in 1995, but not as much as conventional tillage, reduced-till, mulch-till, and ridge-till.
	Illinois was the leading state for no-till soybeans with 3.2 million acres in 1995, and it ranked second in no-till corn with 1.8 million acres. The growth and success of no-till may be due to lower production costs, improved planters and drills, a lower capital investment in equipment, better herbicides, the desire to control erosion, and the need to meet conservation plan goals.