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Tillage Management
The soil is left undisturbed from harvest to planting except for strips up to 1/3 of the row width (strips may involve only residue disturbance or may include soil disturbance). Planting or drilling is accomplished using disc openers, coulter(s), row cleaners, in-row chisels or roto-tillers. Weed control is accomplished primarily with crop protection products. Cultivation may be used for emergency weed control. Other common terms used to describe No-till include direct seeding, slot planting, zero-till, row-till, and slot-till. |
The Conservation Technology Information Center provides Crop Residue Survey Management Survey data which has been utilized to provide Iowa tillage management information as linked below.
There are several types of tillage used in conservation tillage management systems including no-till, ridge-till, and mulch-till which are included in the tables and charts linked below.
The Iowa Residue Management Partnership (IRMP) was formed in 1999 to address conservation tillage practice concerns.
IRMP members include Conservation Districts of Iowa, Inc., Conservation Technology Information Center, the Division of Soil Conservation for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Chapter of the Soil & Water Federation, Iowa State University, Monsanto, Inc., Soil & Water Conservation Society, Inc., and the NRCS.
The goal of the IRMP is to encourage Iowa farmers to leave more residue in fields in the fall by encouraging them to consider economic and environmental implications of fall tillage. The group has developed a producer survey to determine why producers have discontinued or interrupted no-till farming and what may encourage them to renew the practice in their operations. The survey results are being used to develop a program to address tillage issues statewide in 2000 and beyond. |
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The soil is left undisturbed from harvest to planting except for strips up to 1/3 of the row width. Planting is completed on the ridge and usually involves the removal of the top of the ridge. Planting is completed with sweeps, disk openers, coulters, or row cleaners. Residue is left on the surface between ridges. Weed control is accomplished with crop protection products (frequently banded) and/or cultivation. Ridges are rebuilt during row cultivation. |
Full-width tillage involving one or more tillage trips which disturbs all of the soil surface and is done prior to and/or during planting. Tillage tools such as chisels, field cultivators, disks, sweeps or blades are used. Weed control is accomplished with crop protection products and/or cultivation. |
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Soil Conservation Tillage and Residue Summaries for Iowa 
Residue Cover - Annual Crops |
Tillage Practices - Annual Crops |
Tillage Practices - Corn |
Tillage Practices - Soybeans |
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Soil Conservation Tillage and Residue Summaries for the United States
Residue Cover -Annual Crops |
Tillage Practices - Annual Crops |
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DATA SOURCE:
1989-1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 National Crop Residue Management
Surveys
Conservation Technology Information Center
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