Northwest Iowa — Here in northwest Iowa, we are fortunate to farm on some of the best soil types available in Iowa, and in the world. Being good stewards of that resource is important for the future of agriculture in our area. Decisions about how farmers care for the soil during the next growing season start this fall.
Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist Joel DeJong suggests that farmers not be in a hurry to till their ground.
DeJong says those little raindrops have a much greater affect when they hit the ground than one might think.
He says a full crop canopy in the field does a good job of protecting our soil from significant erosion.
We asked DeJong how much soil could be saved by not tilling in the fall.
He says that what farmers do with their crop residue often has little short-term impact on their crop, but the long-term impact is a concern. He says decisions made now do impact the future.
