Tillage and crop rotations are production practices that influence soil health in ways that impact both long run productivity and environmental outcomes, such as nutrient run-off and carbon sequestration. These practices can also be adjusted in response to evolving weather and climate patterns in farmers' production environments.
Tillage—turning the soil to control for weeds and pests and to prepare for seeding—has long been part of crop farming. However, intensive soil tillage can increase the likelihood of soil erosion, nutrient runoff into nearby waterways, and the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A reduction in how often or how intensively cropland is tilled enables the soil to retain more organic matter, which leaves the soil less susceptible to wind and water erosion and helps store, or "sequester," carbon. Farmers' choices about soil preparation, including tillage depth and the number of tillage operations, can reduce weed growth, improve nutrient management, and influence crop seeding. In general, less disturbance of soil can lead to more organic matter and lower potential for soil erosion and compaction. No-till is generally the least intensive form of tillage, while conventional tillage is the most intensive form of tillage. Conservation tillage, in which at least 30 percent of plant residue remains on the field following harvest, is less intensive than conventional tillage.
Crop rotations are planned sequences of crops over time on the same field. Rotating crops provides productivity benefits by improving soil nutrient levels and breaking crop pest cycles. Farmers may also choose to rotate crops in order to reduce their production risk through diversification or to manage scarce resources, such as labor, during planting and harvesting timing.
- Conservation practices vary by crop and region. The ERS report, Conservation-Practice Adoption Rates Vary Widely by Crop and Region (EIB-147, December 2015), analyzed national and regional adoption of no-till and strip-till planting systems, cover-crop use, and nitrogen-fertilizer application rates/timing/methods. U.S. farmers' adoption of these practices varies widely by crop and region. Many farmers are "partial" adopters, adopting these conservation practices on some but not all acres of their farm. Roughly 40 percent of combined acreage of corn, soybean, wheat, and cotton were in no-till/ strip-till in 2010-11, with adoption rates higher for some crops (e.g., soybeans) and some regions. Cover crops were in use on less than 2 percent of total cropland (for all crops) during 2010-11 (6.8 million acres), with adoption rates higher in some regions.
- Recent trends in multi-cropping. Over the last decade, growing demand for agricultural commodities—for both food and fuel—has increased the incentives for farm operators to increase production. Double-cropping has drawn interest as a method to intensify production without expanding acreage. The ERS report, Multi-Cropping Practices: Recent Trends in Double-Cropping (EIB-125, May 2014), developed a baseline analysis of U.S. double-cropping patterns from 1999 to 2012 and briefly explored factors that may influence farmers' double-cropping decisions. Viewed as shares of each region's total cropland, double cropping was most common in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest regions. Changing commodity prices are likely one factor in the decision to double crop.
- Conservation programs and drought risk adapting.The ERS report, The Role of Conservation Programs in Drought Risk Adaptation (ERR-148, April 2013), evaluated the extent to which farms facing higher levels of drought risk are more likely to participate in conservation programs, and found a strong link between drought risk and program participation. Crop farms facing higher drought risk were more likely to be enrolled in EQIP contracts with conservation tillage practices. And crop producers who utilize conservation tillage were often able to improve the capture and storage of soil moisture, which provides their crops an important buffer against drought impacts.
FAQs
A resource conserving crop rotation is a cropping rotation that includes at least one resource conserving crop, reduces erosion, builds soil organic matter, improves soil fertility and tilth, interrupts pest cycles, and reduces depletion of soil moisture.
What is the USDA definition of tillage? ›
2.6 Tillage: The mechanical manipulation of soil for any desired purpose, but in agriculture the term is usually restricted to the changing of soil conditions for the enhancement of crop production.
Which crop rotation is best for soil fertility? ›
Legumes may be present in a rotation as a harvested crop (for example, alfalfa) or as green manure (for example, vetch or clover). Legumes are of special interest in organic crop rotations because of their ability to add nitrogen to the system.
What are the crop rotation laws? ›
Organic systems are unique in that crop rotation is specifically required in the USDA organic regulations. Farmers are required to implement a crop rotation that maintains or builds soil organic matter, works to control pests, manages and conserves nutrients, and protects against erosion.
What is the 4 crop rotation method? ›
The method involves dividing a field into four sections and systematically rotating different crops in each section over a period of four years. This departure from mono-cropping had transformative effects on soil health and agricultural productivity.
Do farmers still use crop rotation? ›
It has long been a common practice for farmers to vary the crops grown in each field from year to year. This same practice of rotating crops can be applied to small-scale food gardens. Make a plan to grow certain plant families in one area of the garden this season and in a different area next season.
Why is tillage bad for soil? ›
Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Tillage also reduces crop residue, which help cushion the force of pounding raindrops. Without crop residue, soil particles become more easily dislodged, being moved or 'splashed' away.
What are the three types of tillage? ›
Depending upon the purpose or necessity, different types of tillage are carried out. They are deep ploughing, subsoiling and year-round tillage.
What is minimum tillage in crop production? ›
Definition of minimum tillage
Min-till or reduced tillage is cultivating land using mechanical methods other than ploughing to reduce soil disturbance. The method has been growing in popularity and there are new machines designed specifically for min-till farming.
What is the best order for crop rotation? ›
One approach to crop rotation is to divide your plants into these four basic groups: legumes, root crops, fruit crops, and leaf crops. Imagine your garden separated into four areas, as shown in the chart at the top of the page. Each successive year, you would move each group one spot clockwise.
Disadvantages of crop rotation: Crops of the same family should not be repeatedly grown in the same field. This practice will promote build up of diseases and insect pests and decrease the similar nutrients from the soil.
What crops deplete soil? ›
Heavy feeders like corn and tomatoes quickly deplete the nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil.
What is 1 example of a good crop rotation? ›
For example, one season you might plant crops that fix nitrogen in the soil; the next season plant crops that use a lot of nitrogen. You could also alternate sod-base crops with row crops, crops that attract certain insects with those that do not, or weed-suppressing plants with those that do not suppress weeds.
What are the three crop rotations? ›
This meant farmers had to break their holdings into three fields -- one to be planted with wheat or rye in the fall, for human consumption; a second to be used in the spring to raise peas, beans, and lentils for human use and oats and barley for the horses. The third field lay fallow.
What is a crop rotation program? ›
What is crop rotation? Crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure. For example, say a farmer has planted a field of corn.
What is the USDA cover crop program? ›
PCCP provides premium support to producers who insured their crop with most insurance policies and planted a qualifying cover crop during the 2022 crop year. The premium support is $5 per acre, but no more than the full premium owed.
Does the USDA regulate crops? ›
Within USDA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for protecting agriculture from pests and diseases. Under the Plant Protection Act, USDA-APHIS has regulatory oversight over products of modern biotechnology that could pose such a risk.
What is a 3 year crop rotation plan? ›
A good example of a three-year rotation includes growing beans (year 1), followed by tomatoes (year 2), and sweet corn (year 3) before planting beans in the same spot again the following year. The best way to ensure proper rotation is by having multiple separated garden plots or beds.
