60 Ways - 1. Distribute Residue Evenly At Harvest

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60 Ways Farmers Can Protect Surface Water

50 ways

57 ways

60 ways

Managing Surface Cover

1. Distribute residue evenly at harvest
2. Avoid fall tillage
3. Determine how your operations will affect residue cover
4. Estimate residue cover in the field
5. Adjust equipment to preserve residue
6. Plant a cover crop
7. Rotate crops
8. Select vigorous perennial pasture species
9. Protect the soil with special-use annual forage crops
10. Protect the soil with rotational grazing
11. Use no-till when renovating pasture
12. Manage timberland to protect soil

Controlling the Flow of Water

13. Reduce soil compaction and increase infiltration
14. Install grassed waterways
15. Plant vegetative filter strips or make critical area plantings
16. Farm on the contour
17. Use contour stripcropping and contour buffer strips
18. Install terraces
19. Install grade control structures
20. Install water and sediment control basin
21. Use diversions
22. Install a farm pond
23. Maintain your dtrainage system to protect surface water
24. Control streambank erosion with the willow-post method
25. Avoid channelization of streams and creeks

Managing Nutrients Effectively

26. Set realistic yield goals
27. Monitor the level of nutrients
28. Credit other nitrogen sources
29. Select nitrogen fertilizers wisely
30. Apply nitrogen in the spring
31. Apply fertilizer with a global positioning system

Managing Livestock Waste Effectively

32. Keep livestock out of water
33. Divert runoff water
34. Collect and store contaminated runoff
35. Install a vegetative filter - in appropriate
36. Determine accurate manure application equipment
37. Calibrate manure application equipment
38. Apply manure wisely

Reducing Insecticide Use

39. Scout fields for insects
40. Base decisions on the economic thresholds for insects
41. Use insect-resistant crop varieties
42. Use crop rotation and plant diversity to control insects
43. Spot-treat insect infestations when possible
44. Conserve beneficial insects

Reducing Herbicide Use

45. Scout for weeds and know their economic thresholds
46. Fine-tune your weed-control program to cut back on herbicides
47. Manage crops to compete aggressively with weeds
48. Don't assume that no-till requires more herbicide
49. Band herbicides and cultivate
50. Control weeds with cover crops

Selecting Pesticides

51. Select the leat-toxic pesticide
52. Determine your soil's potential for runoff
53. Determine your pesticide's potential for runoff
54. Determine the soil-pesticide interaction rating

Handling Pesticides Safely & Efficiently

55. Calibrate your sprayer
56. Consider direct injection and closed handling systems
57. Observe setback zones
58. Rinse and dispose of chemical containers safely
59. Dispose of excess chemical safely
60. Dispose of other farm waste safely

1. Distribute Residue Evenly At Harvest
	Surface cover management, the key to erosion-control, begins at harvest. If you distribute residue unevenly at harvest, the resulting windrows or bunches can create a number of problems. . .
	. . . the need for additional tillage to redistribute residue; weed and insect problems; plugged equipment; poor seed placement with a no-till planter that is not equipped with row cleaners. . .
	. . . very wet soil under thick deposits of residue when the rest of the field is ready to plant; delayed soil warming and seedling emergence where residue is thick; deformed plants as plants are forced to grow through and around heavy amounts of residue; and interference with pesticides.
	A large portion of the residue moving through a combine passes over the straw walkers of a conventional combine or out the end of the rotar cage of a rotary combine. This residue can be allowed to fall on the ground, but it is preferable to distribute it evenly on the soil surface by either a straw chopper or a straw spreader.
	A significant percentage of the residue passing through the combine is small or broken up into small material, normally called chaff. Chaff passes through the concaves or straw walkers of the combine, then moves to the chaffer sieve. Chaff on the chaffer sieve is either blown out or drops out the back of the combine. This chaff drops directly to the ground, never reaching the straw chopper or spreader.
	The solution is to install a chaff spreader, which typically uses two spinning disks with rotating batts to throw the chaff in all directions behind the combine. Ideally, chaff and residue should be distributed evenly across the entire harvested width.