NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

August 20, 1998

New Equipment, Herbicides Offer Alternatives to Fall Tillage

Advances in equipment, herbicides and management mean producers may need to reconsider their approach to fall tillage, according to a North Dakota State University agricultural engineer.

"Before you get started on your fall tillage, stop and consider the alternatives," says Vern Hofman of the NDSU Extension Service. "Several options are available, ranging from a no-till program to traditional fall plowing. It's an important decision because working the soil after harvest is the beginning of next year's crop."

Hofman notes that there are many reasons to tillweed control, residue reduction, seed bed preparation (loosening and firming), and wind- and water-erosion control. Today there are alternatives to tillage for each of those needs.

Where tillage once played a key role in weed control, a wider variety of herbicides can often do the job more efficiently. New planting equipment can place seeds accurately through heavy residue, so tillage to reduce residue is no longer needed. Reduced-tillage planting equipment also does an excellent job of placing seed in a seedbed that's been prepared by nature's freeze-thaw cycle rather than tillage.

New equipment designed to operate in heavy residue also makes erosion control less of a problem. Many soil conditions are adequately protected from erosion if 30 percent of the soil surface is covered with residue. Sloping fields with erosive type soils may require more surface cover.

Hofman says that how well minimum tillage works depends on soil drainage, organic matter, soil texture, slope and the crop rotation program. Although cereal grain production with minimum tillage has been made to work on nearly every type of soil, it is more readily adapted to lighter, well-drained soils than to heavier, poorly drained soil. Poorly drained soil may experience water ponding problems and are usually less forgiving of management mistakes. With row crops, however, the ridge-till system handles heavy, poorly drained soils with ease and convenience not found in conventional seeding systems.

"If you make the decision to go with a conventional tillage program, select the tillage machine that will accomplish the specific purpose required, such as weed control and incorporating some residue," Hofman says. "Once the proper machine is selected, make sure it is operated as efficiently as possible. Tillage requires time, energy, and money. Any tillage operation that doesn't return more than it costs in increased yield should be changed or eliminated."

Hofman offers several hints for getting the most out of tillage operations.

• Don't run tillage equipment too deep. Use the shallowest tillage depth that is still effective. Doubling the depth can more than double the energy required.
• Combine operations whenever possible. Anhydrous ammonia applications or pesticide applications can usually be combined with tillage to eliminate extra passes across the field.
• Make sure the tillage implement is the correct size for the tractor. If you pull an undersized implement, traveling faster will help utilize tractor power but damage may occur to the implement if rocks or obstructions are present.

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Source: Vern Hofman (701) 231-7240

Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629