Conservation tillage
Soil tillage in agriculture goes back thousands of years and was considered a necessary part of farming. However, the combination of intense tillage, drought, crop failure and wind led to the 'Dust Bowl' in the early 1930s, raising national awareness about the need for improved conservation methods.
With conservation tillage, plant residue from an earlier crop or a cover crop is left on the soil when a new crop is planted. A variety of techniques can be used, including no-till, a system in which the soil is not disturbed between crops; strip-till, in which a thin strip is tilled for a seed bed; and ridge-till, with cultivation at the top of the planting bed, but not in the furrows.
"In many parts of the United States and the world, conservation tillage is already widely implemented," said Jeff Mitchell, UC Davis Cooperative Extension cropping systems specialist and chair of the Conservation Tillage and Cropping Systems Workgroup. "Conservation tillage is now catching on in California."
Currently, about 2 percent of California farmland is managed under conservation tillage techniques. The rest continues to be managed with systems that have changed very little since irrigation and cropping intensification began in the region more than 65 years ago.
The new website is designed to arm farmers with information that will help them set aside the common conventional practices of annual plowing, disking, ripping and chiseling. Website visitors will find:
Research archive. A comprehensive collection of agricultural research about conservation tillage in California and other parts of the world.
Radio podcast. Audio clips that can be heard on the web, or downloaded for listening on an MP3 player or smartphone.
Video library. A variety of educational videos for online viewing.
Photo gallery. Images that illustrate conservation tillage in practice in California.
News feed. Up-to-date stories about farmers who are practicing conservation tillage, research developments, and educational activities are on the news feed. Website visitors may subscribe to the news feed RSS for automatic updates.
CT partners. Links to agencies in California and across the nation that provide support and information for implementing conservation tillage.
CT vendors. Links to companies that produce equipment, seed, fertilizer, pesticides and other products that can be used with conservation tillage systems.
Contact information. Telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for experts in conservation tillage who can help farmers begin experimenting with the new practice.