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Scout and plan for conservation practices this fallNebraska Fall harvest is an excellent time to scout fields for places where conservation practices could be put into place, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln agricultural engineer said. Planning for grassed waterways, filter strips, field borders, windbreaks, and/or no-till planting can start now, said Dave Shelton, agricultural engineer at UNL's Haskell Agricultural Laboratory near Concord. "With most field scouting for insects, weeds and other pests mostly finished, harvest is a great time to scout and plan where conservation practices could be implemented or installed to help reduce soil erosion and improve water quality," Shelton said. "The combine cab offers an excellent vantage point to note where channels have developed in the field from the concentration of runoff water." Gullies or rills typically develop in the same place each year. Spring tillage may fill these spots, but they redevelop during the growing season. "Consider installing grassed waterways in these areas," Shelton said. A grassed waterway is a shaped or graded channel that is seeded to grass. The channel helps reduce erosion because the velocity and energy of flowing water is reduced by the grass. Filter strips and riparian forest buffers placed along the edges of streams or other water bodies can serve as a last line of defense for sediment and other pollutants that might enter the water. "These practices are very effective at trapping sediment and enhance the infiltration of runoff water," he said. "Buffers also improve safety by keeping equipment away from the edge of the stream and provide excellent habitat for pheasants, songbirds, and other wildlife." Shelton said many people aren't aware that filter strips and riparian buffers don't have to be of uniform width. "They can be designed and planted to provide a straight field edge along a meandering stream, thus improving farming efficiency," he said. Grassed field borders can provide a convenient location for unloading combines into trucks or grain carts, loading planters, or for turning combines, planters, and other equipment around, he said. "Controlling field traffic in this manner also can greatly reduce the likelihood of developing a compaction problem within the field," he said. Field borders often can be used to eliminate crop rows that would otherwise be planted up-and-down hill, thus further reducing soil erosion. They also can provide habitat for wildlife. Windbreaks, shelterbelts, and living snowfences are similar practices where rows of trees and shrubs are planted to protect an area from wind and/or blowing snow. "Living snowfences typically are established along roads or lanes to control drifting snow, whereas windbreaks/shelterbelts are usually planted to protect farmsteads, feedlots, and other structures," he said. Windbreaks also can be effective in reducing heating costs and improving livestock performance in the winter, and they provide excellent wildlife habitat. "All these conservation practices require a commitment of land and the planting of permanent vegetation (grasses, shrubs, trees)," Shelton said. "However, no-till planting is a proven conservation practice that often just requires a change in management and possibly some equipment adjustments," he said. The first step in establishing a no-till system is to make sure residue from the harvested crop is uniformly distributed behind the combine. The federal Continuous Conservation Reserve Program, the Nebraska Buffer Strip Program and other programs are available to assist landowners with the installation and maintenance of many different conservation practices. For more information, contact a local Natural Resources and Conservation Service, Natural Resources District or UNL Extension office. 10/6/08 Date: 9/26/08
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