The main advantages of a zero tillage system are these:

-Higher productivity through better water use efficiency

-Lower equipment, labor and inputs costs

-Maintenance and improvement of soil quality

It is my opinion that these statements are facts and I will not be attempting to prove them. I hope to challenge you to take maximum advantage of them.

Possible the best method to give a "systems" overview of zero tillage is to take a calendar approach. For this article the year will start at the period just prior to harvest. It will begin with a short look back to the previous years.

Crop rotation is the key building block. For this reason it is important to know as far ahead as possible the crop that will be grown on a specific piece of land. Chemical usage in the current or preceding year or years can harm or enhance productivity or profitability due to carry over, weed pressures or lack of weed pressures etc. For example control of Wild Buckwheat in no triazine tolerant canola is virtually impossible without the use of incorporated chemicals. For this reason good control in the years when canola is not grown is a sound management principal. Taking a further look at the existing crop with an eye to next years crop, desiccation with glyphosate could be an effective tool to control problem perrenial weeds such as Canadian Thistle or Quack. This could be an alternative method in gaining control on the thistle and quack problems, thus opening up many alternatives for control of other problem weeds in crops to fallow.

At harvest time stubble height management and straw management are high on the priority list. In a zero till system depending on climate, crop, type of seeder etc, stubble height will likely be kept as high as possible to trap snow, while in a high precipitation area stubble height may need to be kept shorter. Some drills need to have shorter stubble to allow for proper trash clearance. Straw will need to be chopped and spread with the objective being complete coverage of the cut.

In all circumstances it is extremely important to have good chaff spread. Many alternatives are available to improve the spread on existing combines.

In the post harvest period fall germinating weeds and volunteers along with perennial weeds and winter annuals may need to be controlled. In fall seeded crops this can be important because diseases can transfer from living plants that will die over winter to new seedlings that won’t. For this reason a fall burn off several days head of seeding may be necessary. Winter annuals such as Shepherds purse and Stinkweed may need to be controlled particularly for crops that will be seeded later in the spring. Perennial weeds may be better controlled in the fall depending on growth. Another area of consideration is insects. Insects that feed on green growth in the fall can be controlled by burning off the growth causing them to die out and not lay eggs thereby reducing problems next year. The word may has been used several times in this paragraph it is important to state that close attention needs to be paid to burn off, decisions will need to be made to maximize control and minimize costs. For example fall burn offs will not necessarily negate the need for spring burn offs however; spring burn offs could replace fall burn offs etc.

Keeping with the "systems" approach many zero tillers may choose to band their fertilizer in the fall. This approach can save time in the spring, it can be incorporated with an application of incorporated chemicals, it can help to get you on the land sooner in the spring etc. This may or may not fit your system depending on the drill you use, the effectiveness of incorporated chemicals in your area, whether you need to be concerned about speeding up the surface drying in the spring etc.

In a system approach other alternatives may be employed to address each of these concerns. For example nitrogen fertilizer can be broadcasted, or banded separate from the seed in the seeding operation.

The need for use of incorporated chemicals to help to rotate your chemicals may be an important consideration. Depending on your location you may be able to apply and not incorporate and achieve satisfactory results, or you may develop a longer term systems approach to dealing with the problem. In a systems approach the combined use of crop competition, crop rotation, herbicide rotation etc, may serve to provide adequate control.

Having the soil surface dry enough to seed into as soon as possible in the spring is an important factor. Understanding that oil seed and pulse stubble dries much faster than cereal stubble will allow you to plan your seeding to take advantage of this fact.

Seeding into cereal stubble that has been into cereals for more than one year can be a problem. Theses fields tend to take a long time to dry because of trash build up. These facts and alternatives may cause you to move to a rotation that alternates cereals one year and oils or pulses the next.

While on the topic of crop rotation the subject of water use efficiency should be mentioned. Since there is more water available to the crops, changes in the crop or variety and rotation will be necessary to take advantage of this water. Depending on location there are many rotation options to consider when making decisions for water use efficiency.

Also on the subject of crop rotation, rotating crops to break disease cycles is an important factor and must be considered. By having a more diverse rotation your changes to benefit from the system are enhanced. Knowing which crops and varieties are susceptible to what diseases and which are resistant will help to place each crop in the rotation.

As we move into the spring season the cause and effect implications of a properly planned system come to the fore. The zero till soil surface is often ready to seed into very early, particularly on oil and pulse stubble. Preseeding spring burn offs may or may not be necessary or practical depending on fall burn off, weed growth, disease transfer from over wintering fall crops, etc. Burn off after seeding before crop emergence may be an option. Decisions will have to be made on each field considering all facts.

The choice of crop should already have been made taking into account factors such as water use efficiency, rotation to avoid diseases and insects, rotation to allow for a planned attack on the weed problems, rotation of the different chemical groups, seeding of crops that are competitive and that provide quick cover to aid in natural weed control etc.

Looking at the zero till seed bed there are several points to consider. Moisture will be close to the surface. The temperature at the surface will be warm but will cool quickly the deeper you go the surface will be firm. The undisturbed environment will be a harsh place for weeds to establish them themselves. To take advantage of these facts, seeds should be placed as shallow as possible, hastening emergence because of the warmth, moisture, and distance to light. Also disturbance of the between row soil surface should be minimized in order to maintain a harsh environment for weed establishment.

It is a given fact that the choice of drill will have an impact on your overall system. To simplify things a seeding unit that is capable of placing seed into a firm shallow seed bed with good seed soil contact is a must. Fertilizer placement relative to seed placement is something you will want to look at as well. Possibly the most important point to make in this section is this. A quick emerging vigorous crop that covers the ground quickly is the best and at the same time the cheapest weed control you can get.

The next subject to address is post emergent spraying. Because of the increasing problem of chemical resistance, the fact that there is no one magical chemical resistance, the fact that there is no one magical chemical that will control all weeds and the need to be over conscious of costs, rotation of crops and chemicals becomes extremely important. There are many strategies that can be incorporated into the overall plan but the key factor is that you have an overall plan and that rotation is the cornerstone to that plan. A properly executed plan will serve to control costs and increase returns.

SANITATION, another buzz word, is important. The message implied by this word is this; take time to avoid problems you do not already have. Since hard to control weeds such as Bromegrass can work in from the edges of the fields, managing borders becomes important. This may be approached in different ways. Mowing of field edges before the Bromegrass sets seed is a good practice. Spraying the first few feet of the cropping area with higher rates at the time of burn off is also a good practice. Using clean seed is an important practice to stop the introduction of new weeds into the operation. Cleaning of equipment when moving from field to field is a recommended practice.

In conclusion the thrust of this presentation is two fold. It is an overview of the Zero Tillage system. It is not designed to be in depth but rather to help you ask questions. In the sessions that follow, this afternoon and again this evening, I hope that it does just that. For those of you who are reading this after the sessions are over, it will hopefully help you to have the needed questions to find the answers in the presentation papers that follow. Two excellent sources of information used to prepare this paper are:

"Zero Tillage Production Manual"

Published by the Manitoba North Dakota Zero Till Association

"No-Till Guidelines"

Written by the Dakota Lakes Research Farm at Pierre South Dakota.