Residue Management
Residue management and the use of no-till or strip-till techniques are methods employed by farmers to reduce soil erosion resulting from wind and water movement, maintain and improve soil organic matter content, conserve soil moisture, reduce plant damage from freezing or desiccation, and to provide food and escape cover for wildlife.
Residue management involves controlling the amount of plant residues, especially from high-residue crops such as corn, on the soil surface year-round. Instead of tilling the entire field in preparation for the new seeding, new crops are seeded directly into the residue in narrow slots or in narrow tilled strips of soil to maintain residue cover over most of the soil surface.
Residue removal, through baling or grazing, may have adverse impacts on soil, water, and other resources making it an important item to consider for the on-going maintenance of soil productivity on the farm.
