Plans Require Crop Residue
by Robert E. Leiby
and David L. Dunbar
Lehigh County Agents
To be eligible for
USDA farm program
benefits, farmers must
have completely imple
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merited their own con
servation plans for high
ly erodible fields by De
cember 31, 1994.
Such conservation
plans require that speci
fied percentages of crop
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residue be left on soil
surfaces to reduce ero
sion and conserve soil
moisture. If you have
questions about your
conservation plan, con
tact your county Soil
AG-CHEM
Conservation Service
office.
Lynn Hoffman, Penn
State extension agrono
mist, reminds us that
residue management is
not just no-till or mini-
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mum-till or using a par
ticular tillage tool. Resi
due management in
volves farming systems
that operate in, and take
advantage of, certain
levels of soil surface
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residue throughout the
year. It requires the best
use of tillage, planting,
and harvesting equip
ment
In addition, residue
management makes it
important for growers to
understand the influ
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ence of crop residues on
pesticide effectiveness
and pest populations.
Some pesticides are
made less effective, and
some pest populations
are enhanced by resi
dues. All of these fac-
tors increase the impor
tance of careful plan
ning to avoid excessive
tillage or unwanted rota
tion changes.
Remember that the
effectiveness of a tillage
implement varies with
travel speed, tillage
depth, and size, shape
and spacing of disks or
teeth. Hoffman says
stalk chopping increases
by ten percent the
amount of residue incor
porated while moisture
from a light shower or
frost reduces incorpora
tion.
Among tillage imple
ments, mold board
plows leave the least
residue (0-10 percent)
and no-till planters
leave the most (80-90
percent). Chisel plows
and disks are in-be
tween, with cultimulch
ers and spring-foot har
rows at the high-residue
end of the range (60-70
percent).
As residue levels in
crease, pest problems
tend to increase. Hoff
man recommends that
growers be alert for the
following problems:
•Armyworm in com
planted in small grain
stubble.
•Woody perennial
weeds in long-term
om.
•Cutworm in fields
with chickwecd.
•Soil compaction
from working in fields
that are too wet.
•Gray leafspot in
high-ocrurrence areas.
•Colder soil tempera
tures at planting.
•Irregular forage
stands when planting in
com fields too rough for
your drill.
‘Sod webworm and
other insects when
planting in heavy sods.
•Acid soil surfaces in
old sod fields.
The Penn State Agro
nomy Guide contains
recommendations for
dealing with these prob
lems. The Guide is
available through Coun
ty Extension Offices at
S 6 per copy.
Tax Guides Available
•Internal Revenue Ser
vice publication 225,
“Farmer’s Tax Guide”
is now available through
County Extension Of
fices. This free publica
tion explains how fed
eral tax laws apply to
fanning and provides
guidance for preparing
1992 farm income tax
returns. It lists impor
tant changes for 1992,
as well as important
dales and other remind
ers. It also lists other
publications that might
be useful in preparing
tax returns. In Lehigh
County, phone (215)
391-9840 to request a