How to Plow to Conserve
- 1). Leave 40 to 70 percent of the crop residue in the field. This includes corn stalks, tomato vines and wheat stubble. If you don't have enough for the field, you can ask a neighboring farmer for cast-offs.
- 2). Place the plantings and seeds directly into the field among the residue with a no-till method. No plowing is used with this method. Attach a row cleaner to the tractor to open the soil where you will place the plantings.
- 3). Hook a cultivator to the tractor with the mulch-till method. Leave one-third of the crop residue on the field surface. Mulch-till mixes more of the crop residue into the soil for added nutrients.
- 4). Perform ridge-tilling when planting crops on the raised ridges formed during cultivation. Attach a row cleaner to the tractor to plow 4- to 6-inch ridges into the field. Clear the crop residue from the top of ridges into the furrows. Place the plantings on the top of the ridges.
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