2000 Crop Residue Management Survey
News Release - Midwest Version
NEWS RELEASE __________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dan
Towery
November
3
, 2000
(765) 494-6952
No-till
on the upswing
Results
of tillage system usage survey released
WEST
LAFAYETTE, Ind. More farmers are just saying “no” to tillage. A survey of
tillage system usage in the U.S. released today reports that since 1990,
the number of U.S. cropland acres planted without tillage has increased
more than 200 percent to 51 million acres today.
Midwest states growing corn and soybeans lead the nation in using
no-till systems, which plant seeds into the stem, stalk and leaf residue
of a previous crop without using tillage.
The
2000 Crop Residue Management Survey, released today by the Conservation
Technology Information Center (CTIC), collects information from each
county in the U.S. to assess tillage system usage by crop. “These
survey results verify that more farmers are discovering the benefits of
no-till, especially in corn and soybeans,” says Bruno Alesii, chair of
CTIC, a public/private partnership in West Lafayette, Ind. In addition,
these conservation tillage farmers are increasing their soil organic
matter and sequestering carbon which is part of the Core 4 Conservation
strategy of a systems approach for “better soils, cleaner water,
greater profits and a brighter future.”
By
leaving last year’s crop residue on a field, farmers using no-till
systems make fewer tractor trips, use less fuel, reduce soil loss,
improve soil quality and water quality of nearby streams and lakes. This
year’s survey shows that no-till and other conservation tillage
systems make sound economic and environmental sense to
farmers, according to Dave Schertz, national agronomist with U.S.
Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“Conservation
tillage is a cornerstone of a producers farming operation,” Schertz
says. “By eliminating or significantly reducing tillage trips and
leaving residue on the soil surface, farmers are using a more
environmentally friendly production system that reduces input costs and
improves profitability. They
are also reducing soil erosion, improving soil structure, and increasing
the organic matter content or carbon content of their soils.”
Most
of the increase in no-till acreage occurred in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa
and Ohio. In these States, total no-till soybean acres in the past two
years increased
by 1.8 million acres. Ohio
and Indiana farmers planted 60 percent of their states’ soybean crop
using no-till. In Iowa and Illinois, 27 percent and 43 percent,
respectively, of soybeans were planted no-till. Illinois, Indiana and Iowa also saw no-till corn acres
increase by 1.4 million during the same period. Ohio reported 24 percent
of its corn acres as no-till. Indiana
planted 21 percent, Iowa planted 18 percent and Illinois planted 17
percent of their corn acres with no-till.
Conservation
tillage makes sense for Midwest farmers today, says Rick Robinson,
director of environmental affairs with Iowa Farm Bureau. “Iowa farmers
are gradually increasing the amount of no-till and conservation tillage
acres in the state. Part of
this is a reaction to the low commodity prices and increased cost of
inputs, especially diesel fuel, as farmers try to stretch their profits.
Also, there have been a number of cooperative efforts in Iowa to
increase conservation tillage acres.”
Alesii
attributes the upward trend in no-till to the efforts of partnership
groups working to increase adoption of conservation tillage practices in
the Midwest. “ The increase in no-till acres in these key states is
very gratifying,” he says. “It reverses a downward trend that had
been taking place in no-till corn.
These states have shown that the public/private partnership
working together with their farmers can transfer site-specific solutions
such as fall strip-till in corn to overcome cold/wet soil issues. If
other states follow their examples, I expect to see a substantial
increase in no-till acres in future years.”
No-till
usage nationwide has increased nearly 7 percent in the last two years to
the current level of 17.6 percent of 290 million acres of annually
planted cropland. Other conservation tillage system usage numbers: 18
percent of acres use mulch-till (full-width tillage that leaves more
than 30 percent residue) and 1.2 percent use ridge-till (planting on
ridges formed during cultivation the previous year). Conservation
tillage usage was 36.8 percent nationally this year, a slight decrease
since 1998. This decrease was a result in significantly less mulch-till
acres and was primarily due to an improved residue measuring procedure
utilized by USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel and
other conservation partners, according to the survey report.
For
more information about the 2000 Crop Residue Management Survey or Core 4
Conservation, please contact Dan Towery, natural resources specialist
with Conservation Technology Information Center, at 765-494-6952 or e-mail
towery@ctic.purdue.edu
. Website :
www.core4.org
###
|
