Section:Plant & Soil Science Unit:Soil Conservation Lesson Title:Conservation Practices

Conservation tillage 30% Residue is desired Lowest Cost per ton per acre of soil saved Most popular conservation practice

Grass waterway Used to funnel water away from fields Spread over a large area to slow run-off Especially helpful for reducing gullying

Contour tillage Tilling with contour slows run-off and breaks up wind drifting Used on slopes of 3 to 12%

Contour Strips Used when erosion risk is too great for contour tilllage alone Used on slopes of 6 to 12%

Wind strips Reduces legth of sweep of the wind across poor soil Used perpendicular to prevailing winds The surface is usually roughened to slow wind

Field Strips Similar to contour strips Strips are placed perpendicular to downhill slopes Strips are usually equal widths apart

Terraces Used to slow and hold water from running off of land Used on lands with slopes of 12 to 25%

Land Drainage Used when soil won’t allow water to drain internally Tile lines are laid out and used to help water drain internally

Land Leveling Occurs on slopes of 1 to 3% Level land improves water distribution Occurs with a laser leveling system

Timely tillage Tillage of soil is usually necessary Timing is important, if soil is too wet, tillage will ruin soil structure Tilling when soil is too dry will make seedbed prep difficult

Organic matter maintenance Ridge till, no till and minimum till are farming practices that leave residues on the surface and increase organic matter

Mow pasture Mowing is recommended when grass and weeds are too tall to allow desirable grass species to grow

Establish cover Planting cover grasses is important on land not suitable for cropping Establishing cover is essential for pastures that have been mistreated

Eradicate brush or weeds Removing brush and weeds by physical or chemical means on rangelands helps productive forages thrive

Proper grazing use Managing grazing lands is important for the successful feeding of animals Rotational grazing shown here is one intense management practice that is becoming more popular