Description

Seeding directly into or through previous crop residue without any other mechanical soil disturbance and managing residues on the soil surface year-round.

Benefits

Reduce erosion, improve soil health, organic matter, reduce off-site losses and availability of easily transported nutrients, reduces pressure from some pests, reduces expenses associated with tillage operations.

Soil Carbon Impacts

Improve soil carbon retention by reducing exposure of soil organic matter (SOM) to O₂ and allowing soil organic matter to stabilize. The breakdown of crop residue will over time increase SOM.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Impacts

Reduce CO₂ emissions from soil by reducing exposure of SOM to O₂ and adding SOM to soil stocks over time.

Considerations for Success

• Requires equipment that may not be readily available. Ask your soil and water conservation district if direct seeding equipment is available to rent.
• This practice is not applicable to potatoes, sugar beets, and hops.
• But could be used for other crops in a potato rotation.
• In some soils, contributes to acidification caused by injected N fertilization without tillage.
• Will likely require additional weed control and associated costs.
• Where soil compaction is present and significant, may experience issues with infiltration and fertilizer applications. May consider beginning with reduced tillage and taking additional measures to address compaction, such as planting tap-rooted cover crop mixes.

IAMP Preferences/Considerations

The IAMP project incentivizes practices that result in a net reduction in GHG and increase in soil carbon. To make a lasting impact on GHG reduction and increased soil carbon, no-tillage should be adopted permanently throughout the cropping rotation.

Specific Details

Based on the definitions below taken from the COMET Farm model, the field has been farmed using either standard tillage practices (having <<15% residue remaining)) or reduced tillage practices (15-30% residue remaining) and will now be farmed without tillage and with at least 75% crop residue maintained at all times. The COMET Farm model indicates a minimum of 0.2 metric tonnes/ac CO2eq reduction of greenhouse emissions from the reduction in tillage from the baseline See NRCS No-tillage (329) guide.

Criteria/Verification

• Uniformly distributed residues over the entire field for the entire year (Removing residue from the row area prior to or as part of the planting operation is acceptable).
• Direct measurement of ground cover (through analysis of images or direct measurement) following tillage.
• The soil tillage intensity rating (STIR) value equivalent calculated using RUSLE. Documentation for verification will be provided by the implementing partner. STIR value shall include all field operations that are performed during the crop interval between harvest and termination of the previous cash crop and harvest or termination of the current cash crop (includes fallow periods). The crop interval STIR value shall be no greater than 20.
• Soil erosion rates are less than soil tolerance levels (T).
• Crop rotation and residue management must result in a positive trend in the soil conditioning index (SCI). SCI change simulated with baseline and proposed plan using RUSLE.
• Simulated erosion rate is below tolerance level using RUSLE.

Incentive Payments

$60/acre/year of implementation.

Stacking or Companion Practices

No tillage is compatible with other incentivized IAMP practices: Biochar, Cover crops, Conservation crop rotation (>2 crops), Intercropping, Nutrient Management (Basic, Enhanced and Precision), Prescribed grazing, Soil Carbon amendment.

Sources

• NRCS: Residue and Tillage Management, No Till (329)