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Conservation Tillage Demonstrations

Click here for more on the 2007 Strip Tillage Expos

PIs: James Anderson, WRC Co-Director and Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, Gyles Randall, U of MN Professor, Southern Research Outreach Center

Collaborators: Les Everett, WRC Project Manager; Chris Zadak, MPCA Project Manager; Jodi DeJong-Hughes, Brad Carlson, David Pfarr, David Bau, Dan Martens, Liz Stahl, Ryan Miller, and Dave Nicolai, Extension Educators; Jeff Vetsch, Assistant Scientist

Funding Source: USEPA Region 5; Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 319 Grant

Project Duration: 10/01/2002 - 9/30/2007

Final Project Report, pdf, 35 KB

The corn-soybean rotation is the dominant cropping system in the southern half of Minnesota. Conventional tillage (chisel plow) for corn following soybeans leaves too little residue for prevention of soil erosion, especially on sloping soils. Most farmers still chisel in the fall to provide faster spring soil warm-up for early planting. On-station, small-plot research has shown that some reduced tillage systems provide, on average, yields and economic returns equal to the fall chisel, while leaving sufficient residue for soil and water protection.

The University Of Minnesota, in partnership with staff of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Monsanto Company, worked with farmers to carry out two years of on-farm, replicated strip-trials of four tillage systems using farmer-owned commercial-scale equipment. The on-farm trials were placed across the southern half of the state to verify and demonstrate results obtained in the on-station trials, and to communicate those results to a wide farmer audience.

Goals for this project were:

  • Strengthen and extend partnerships to design and establish on-farm demonstrations of reduced tillage systems.
  • Compare tillage systems on 14 producer fields with field-scale equipment for preparation and harvest.
  • Organize field days at demonstration sites, and associated winter workshops.
  • Publish trial results and tillage recommendations for south central and southwest Minnesota in fact sheets, bulletins, and the UM Extension web site.

Results that count

  • On-farm trials were completed at 17 locations over two years. On average, yields from the fall chisel plow, fall strip-till, and spring field cultivate treatments for corn following soybeans were about equal, and generally exceeded those for no-till on glacial till soils. Some risk of yield depression with high residue systems in cold, wet years can be offset by their lower costs of production over years.
  • Two Extension bulletins summarizing on-station and on-farm research were prepared and are available in print form and on-line.
  • Research results and conservation tillage management information were presented at 12 field days at on-farm trial sites, 25 winter crops management meetings, and 4 large summer strip-tillage expos attended by a total of 4250 farmers and agricultural professionals. Farmers attending just the 4 expos reported managing a total of 1,600,000 acres.
  • Partnerships established on this project will continue, with on-farm conservation tillage trials for corn following corn and additional strip-tillage expos where the information from the project will be presented.

Contact:

Les Everett
U of MN Water Resources Center
173 McNeal Hall,
1985 Buford Ave
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 612-625-6751
E-mail: evere003@umn.edu