THE CROP RESIDUE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE AND ITS ROLE FOR
AMERICAN AGRICULTURE IN THE 90'S
Manitoba-North Dakota Zero-Till Workshop
January 27, 1931
David L. Schertz, National Agronomist
USDA Soil Conservation Service
INTRODUCTION
My purpose today is to talk to you about crop residue management and its role in the 90's. First, I would like to define crop residue management and discuss how it is a viable means to help fulfill the conservation provisions of the 85 and 90 farm bills. I will present information on a marketing initiative that has been developed to assist growers in meeting their conservation goals and discuss the benefits of crop residue management associated with soil erosion reduction, surface water quality, and soil moisture conservation.
Crop residue management is an extremely important topic in the 90's. First and foremost, it is an environmentally sound way to farm. Second, it is an economical way to grow a crop. Third, the 85 and 90 farm bills are moving American agriculture to speed adoption of conservation systems. About 75 percent of the acres of conservation compliance plans for highly erodible land (HEL) have some form of residue management to help producers maintain eligibility for U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program benefits.
According to a recent Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) survey, crop residue management systems will be used on nearly half of the 280 million acres of annually planted cropland by 1995. Today, about 79 million acres of residue management have been applied. These figures show us that all of agriculture has a tremendous challenge ahead. It has taken American agriculture 30 years to reach the current level of acreage of residue management. We now need to nearly DOUBLE that acreage by 1995, only three short years away. That is a serious challenge! However, all of American agriculture is taking positive steps to meet this challenge. But crop residue management has other benefits beyond just helping growers maintain their eligibility for USDA programs. I'll talk about these benefits in a moment.
This is why I am talking about the crop residue management challenge and its role for American agriculture in the 1990's.
MEANING OF CROP RESIDUE MANAGEMENT
Crop residue management looks at residue from the previous crop as a resource --- a resource that deserves to be managed properly. It begins with planting a crop that will provide sufficient amounts of residue for the intended purpose, and continues with the actions that are taken after harvest until the next crop is planted.
Crop residue management encompasses not only conservation tillage practices, but also other practices that effectively manage residue for the intended purpose. The goal in crop residue management is to manage this residue on a specific site, whether it is for reducing erosion or improving water infiltration, moisture conservation, soil tilth, or surface water quality.
In the Soil Conservation Service SCS), we are placing less emphasis on the term conservation tillage and more on crop residue management. We are doing this because of perception. Many people feel that when we say conservation tillage we mean only no-till and this is not the case.
Conservation tillage, as defined by SCS, must have at least 30 percent residue cover after planting where soil erosion by water is the primary concern; or at least 1000 rounds of small grain residue equivalent during the critical period where erosion by wind is the primary concern.
Under the crop residue management concept, residue cover after planting is not specified in the definition. The amount required after planting or during the critical wind erosion period is determined based on site conditions and in combination with other conservation practices.
We know that significant erosion reduction benefits are obtained from even small amounts of residue left on the soil
surface, such as with 15 or 20 percent cover. Our goal in crop residue management is to help growers answer the following two questions:
1. What determines how much residue cover is needed?
2. How do I manage my system to achieve that much, or more?
The amount of crop residue that is needed is site specific. It depends on the climate, topography, and the soil erodibility of a particular site, as well as the other practice options chosen by the grower.
BENEFITS OF RESIDUE MANAGEMENT
Soil Loss Reduction:
First and foremost, the greatest benefit of properly managing crop residues is the reduction in soil erosion.
Percent Residue Cover Soil Loss Reduction
10 30
80 94
Water Quality:
Over 50 percent of the nation's drinking water is supplied from surface water sources. Residue management is a means to help assure that the nations surface water quality is maintained or improved. Properly managing crop residue helps keep soil in place which is vital to maintaining the long term viability of American agriculture, as well as, maintaining or improving surface water quality.
Moisture Conservation:
As you very well know, conserving soil moisture is crucial to agriculture in this area. Al Black, at the Agriculture
Research Station in Mandan, ND, will report later in this workshop that managing crop residue has been shown to have tremendous moisture conservation benefits. In fact, after several years of research, he has found that between 2.5 and 4 inches of water can be added to soil moisture as a result of good crop residue management. But the most important aspect is that each inch of added moisture relates to about 5 more bushels of wheat or 7 more bushels of barley per acre.
Duane Beck, South Dakota State University, based on research from James Valley Research Center, in Redfield, South Dakota, looks at moisture conservation from a little different perspective. He is attempting to intensify the cropping rotation with the water saved with crop residue management. For example, how about using acorn/soybean rotation in an 18.5 inch annual rainfall area rather than two years of small grain, one year of corn, and one year of
fallow. Any guesses on which is the most economical? And I think, you probably realize that Duane will tell you that "this corn/soybean rotation, in an 18.5 inch rainfall belt, is simply not possible under conventional tillage." Duane calls it "the most profitable rotation in an area where it doesn't belong."
Both Al Black and Duane Beck are on the program later this week --- and will elaborate more on these valuable research findings. So, I encourage you to pay close attention to them ---their research could be extremely important to your net returns.
Economics:
Of course, the most important benefit to producers is economics. Even when you look Nationwide, the economic benefits of crop residue management have been and are being proven every day. Net returns are showing significant benefits for residue management systems. Crop residue management is simply one of the most economical methods available to growers to significantly reduce soil erosion.
NEED FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT
To the growers in our audience, I would like to say a few words that I'm sure Bill Richards, Chief of SCS, would have said to you had he been able to be here:
You may have come here to this Manitoba-North Dakota Zero-Tillage Workshop because you are looking for answers about the benefits of residue management. Probably, you also came because you are interested in an environmentally sound and economically viable agriculture. You are recognized as innovators --- and you have the respect of your neighbors and your industry. Your leadership is very important to the future of the farming industry.
I take this opportunity to ask for your leadership in two areas that are critical to the success of American agriculture, as we know it today:
- The first is to lend support for crop residue management.
- The second is to encourage your neighbors to move forward in implementation of their conservation compliance plan.
You have, most likely, learned the benefits of investing in management and new technology to remain competitive in today's agriculture. Now its time to tell your story to others. Others who haven't yet seen or understood the REAL benefits of properly managing crop residues.
American agriculture has come a long way in residue management technology. Growers across the Nation have dispelled a lot of the myths about herbicide use, environmental sensitivity, productivity, profitability, and flexibility regarding crop residue management. Competitive farmers take advantage of this technology. And agriculture needs leadership in adopting this technology --- and that's where you have an important role. I challenge you to be demonstration team leaders in getting the latest technology on the ground --- especially crop residue management.
I mention demonstrations here because they are one of the best ways to communicate new technologies to growers. Demonstrations might include your farm, your system, and your leadership. Other ways include involving local industrial dealers, local USDA agencies, the Cooperative Extension System and land grant universities, SWCDS, and other local groups and organizations. They can be smaller very elaborate --- require little or extensive up-front time. Whichever is the right one for you or your county, I assure you they are worthwhile.
As society looks over agriculture is shoulder --- and legislates environmental expectation in more and more detail, I am convinced that there is no more important time than now for agriculture to carry out its conservation mission. Our most urgent challenge --- our real test --- is the conservation compliance provision of the 1985 and 1990 farm bills.
Society has given us its trust that we'll meet the compliance challenge. And it's to the benefit of everybody in agriculture that we, as an agricultural team, succeed. The degree of success will shape future legislation. There seems to be little doubt about that.
What's at stake is our voluntary approach in delivering technology --- all of us involved in agriculture heed to do everything we can to help ensure America's agricultural producers remain the envy of the world. So there's no time to waste in applying the technology that will get the compliance job done. The technology is here --- the assistance is available --- for agriculture can produce in a way that's both environmentally sound and economically feasible.
Please encourage your neighbors to:
WHAT IS AMERICAN AGRICULTURE DOING? -
There is a heightened spirit of Cooperation between government and industry. The CTIC is a non-profit organization that assists technology transfer from government and industry to the grower. The Center is in the process of implementing an aggressive marketing program to encourage implementation of conservation systems. This marketing initiative is placing emphasis on crop residue management and includes farm print media, radio advertisements, and a direct mail campaign as components of their communication campaign. A common theme and logo have been developed for this program. The common theme is, "Crop Residue Management ... Gaining Ground in the 90's." The theme and logo will be used by government and industry to assist in promoting this marketing effort in publications, advertisements, and product information.
The CTIC is fostering the development of an agricultural alliance that includes industry, commodity groups, grower associations, soil and water conservation districts, professional organizations, and societies, and government agencies.
Industry is supporting this marketing initiative in a number of ways. They are conducting awareness and educational programs for dealers that highlight residue management. They are assisting in and conducting demonstrations for producers seeking information on crop residue management systems. They plan to use the logo and common theme in their advertisements; and they are involved in creation and distribution of product aid technical information
useful to producers as they implement their residue management systems.
Six agencies within the United States Department of Agriculture are moving forward as a coordinated group to implement a plan that will provide the information and technical assistance growers need to implement crop residue management systems. This plan involves research and development for a state-of-the-art crop residue measuring device, consolidation of literature that will address the benefits of residue management in erosion reduction, soil moisture conservation, soil tilth and surface water quality. This plan places emphasis on increased technical training directed to the local level and includes an aggressive information delivery system. This plan will also place emphasis on increasing face to face interaction with growers to assist them in implementation of their conservation plans.
The USDA role through implementation of this plan will complement the CTIC Residue Management Marketing Program and related industry activities. This government and industry alliance which has been created at the National level, is also being fostered at the state and local levels to provide a coordinate initiative to deliver the necessary information and technical assistance growers need as they implement crop residue management systems. The SCS firmly believes that meeting the intent of the conservation provisions of the 85 and 90 farm bills is all of agriculture's concern.
SUMMARY
In summary, SCS is committed to providing the technical assistance needed by growers to accomplish the conservation mandate set forth in the 85 and 90 farm bills. We are part of the alliance working through the CTIC that is bringing all of agriculture together under a common theme and goal to encourage conservation systems, especially crop residue management. With this alliance we will be successful in maintaining an economically viable and environmentally sound agriculture into the 21st century. Ladies and gentlemen, with all of the entities. of American agriculture working together, through this alliance, crop residue management is "Gaining Ground In The 90's.
Biographical Information: Dr. David L,. Schertz
USDA Soil Conservation Service - 22 years
National Agronomist since 1986
National Conservation Tillage Agronomist 1983-1986
SCS/ARS Liaison, National Soil Erosion Research Lab, West Lafayette, IN 1980-1983
State Resource Conservationist in Illinois
State Agronomist, Davis, California
Agronomist, Remote Sensing Team, Reston, VA
State Agronomist, Champaign, IL
District Conservationist, Decatur, IL
Soil Conservationist, Pekin, IL
BS Degree in Comprehensive Agriculture Illinois State Univ.
MS Degree in Agronomy, University of Illinois
Ph.D in Agronomy, Purdue University