“High Residue Farming” is an umbrella term for cropping systems in which less tillage is used in order to keep crop residue on the surface of a field. Crop residue provides many benefits to the soil and following crops. These systems are competitive with conventional clean-till systems in yield and more importantly, profit. They require management of equipment, rotation, soil fertility, pests, and crop residues. No-till, direct seeding, strip-tillage and conservation tillage can all be high residue farming systems.
Featured Publications
High Residue Farming Under Irrigation: Pest Management Considerations (series 4 of 5)
McGuire, A. This publication is the fourth in a series on high residue farming (HRF), for farmers who are interested in HRF. This publication gives an overview of the effects of adopting HRF on the management of weeds, insects, and diseases. EM074E.
High Residue Farming Under Irrigation: Residue Management through Planting (series 3 of 5)
McGuire, A. This publication is the third in a series on high residue farming (HRF), for farmers who are interested in HRF. It discusses residue management after harvest and explains how to plant crops into high residue conditions with a planter or drill. It also covers modifications for existing equipment such as planters and drills, […]
High Residue Farming Under Irrigation: Crop Rotation (series 2 of 5)
McGuire, A. This publication is the second in a series on high residue farming (HRF), for farmers who are interested in HRF. It discusses how to choose a cropping sequence, choosing specific cover crops, and special crop considerations for irrigated cropping systems in the far western United States. It includes a very helpful table of […]
High Residue Farming Under Irrigation: What and Why (series 1 of 5)
McGuire, A. This publication is the first in a series on high residue farming (HRF), for farmers who are interested in HRF. It provides an overview of HRF, including the benefits and challenges. It also discusses some special considerations for HRF in the irrigated agriculture regions of the far western United States. EM071E.
High Residue Farming under Irrigation: Strip-till
McGuire, A. Extension Bulletin EM036E. Strip-tillage is a low-impact cultivation technique suited to irrigated land with a lot of residue from a previous crop. A strip-till system creates both clean-till and high-residue conditions in the same field, taking advantage of both systems while minimizing drawbacks. This publication discusses the benefits of this system, as well as […]
Irrigated Ag Information Service
A new WSU Extension website for agricultural industry professionals is designed to provide users with a customizable source of timely information on all aspects of irrigated agriculture. The service is completely free and was developed by a team of WSU Extension irrigation and agronomy experts.
High Residue Farming under Irrigation – Workshops
Digests and agendas from yearly WSU Extension High Residue Farming under Irrigation workshops in Moses Lake, Washington. 2004 to present.
Additional Publications
2009 Field Trial Report (PDF)
On-farm research report.
2008 Field Trial Report (PDF)
On-farm research report.
2006 Strip-till vs. No-till Sweet Corn (PDF)
On-farm research report.
Browse Publications Library for more
External Links
- Conservation Technology Innovation Center
- Dakota Lakes Research Farm
- eXtension
- Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association
- Transition from Clean Till to Surface Residue Systems (pdf)
Some WSU Extension websites provide links to external sites for the convenience of users. These external sites are not managed by WSU Extension. Furthermore, WSU Extension does not review, control or take responsibility for the content of these sites, nor do these sites implicitly or explicitly represent official positions and policies of WSU Extension.
Andy McGuire Agricultural Systems Educator WSU Extension is currently conducting high residue farming under irrigation demonstration and research at the WSU Othello research unit. Please contact Andy with questions about this work: andrew.mcguire@wsu.edu, 509-754-2011 ext. 413; fax 509-754-0163. PO Box 37 (35C St NW) Ephrata, WA 98823.