What's the best way to manage crop residue?

"What's the best way to manage crop residue? Most agronomists would answer this question with: "It depends." But this week at Residue Smart - the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association's deep dive meeting into residue management - the leading response from growers attending was no-till. The support for no-till as the top residue management strategy was a pleasant surprise for Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness crop innovation specialist Ian McDonald."

""Most producers in this room ... said no-till. Absolutely," he says, adding that the preference for minimal soil disturbance was clear. This response reflects what many farmers are seeing in their own operations - leaving residue on the surface under no-till preserves soil cover and fits with broader soil health goals. He also says that a large percentage of farmers continue to pursue more aggressive residue management that "may not be needed if they made a few tweaks in their system.""

"McDonald does acknowledge that there are many different field environments across the province, and farmers have to select the right strategy and implement for their situation. "If there was only one best tool out there, there would only be one tool," he says. Regardless of tillage tool choice, McDonald says it's important for operators to think critically about how the tool is going to be applied to get the best results for their farm."

Growers showed strong support for no-till as a top residue management strategy because leaving residue on the surface preserves soil cover and advances soil health goals. Many farmers still use more aggressive residue management that could be unnecessary with targeted system adjustments. Field conditions vary across the province, so strategies must be selected and implemented to fit specific environments. Operators should critically evaluate how tillage tools are applied to maximize outcomes. High-speed discs are popular among physical tools, but aggressive fall use can create problems and warrants caution.

Read at Realagriculture