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BIOAg Topics
High Residue Farming Under Irrigation
High residue farming is a system of practices that maintains a cover of living or dead plants on the soil. 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.
WSU Websites
Information and Discussion of High Residue Farming under Irrigation
Join the conversation on high residue farming under irrigation on this discussion site.
Irrigated Ag Information Service
A new WSU Extension website for agricultural industry professionals is designed to provide users witha 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.
WSU Publications
High Residue Farming under Irrigation: Strip-till
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 equipment needed, general management concerns, and how to get started. A budget is also included to help growers determine the relative net cost of implementing this system.
The Effects of Reducing Tillage on Pest Management
Andy McGuire, WSU Extension. 2007. An increasing number of farmers in the Columbia Basin are adapting reduced tillage systems from other regions to our conditions and crops. This paper will examine the general effects of reducing tillage on the management of weeds, insects, and diseases. Because these systems have been developed mainly in the Midwest and Canada, much of the information presented here is for the conditions and crops (mainly corn and wheat) in those regions. Experience will show what holds true under our conditions.
High Residue Farming Under Irrigation: Why Wait? - Summer 2007
Article in Sustaining the Pacific Northwest Newsletter. Summer 2007.
On-farm Research Reports
2006 Strip-till vs. No-till Sweet Corn
Resources
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.
National resource links
The following online resources contain a wealth of information on a number of BIOAg topics. Use search fields to narrow results:eXtension, USDA Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA) Master Publications List, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Project Reports, & Natural Resource, Agriculture and Engineering Service (NRAES) Publications.
Transition from Clean Till to Surface Residue Systems
By Dwayne Beck, South Dakota State University. Chapter 10 in Crop Residue Management To Reduce Erosion and Improve Soil Quality; Northern Great Plains, USDA-ARS, Conservation report no. 38, Sept. 1994.
Conservation Technology Innovation Center
The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) is a national, public-private partnership that envisions agriculture using environmentally beneficial and economically viable natural resource systems.
Dakota Lakes Research Farm
Research farm operated by South Dakota State University and managed by Dr. Dwayne Beck.
Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association
PNDSA was formed in 2000 to provide information exchange, advocacy on conservation policy issues and research coordination that will assure adoption of economically viable and environmentally sustainable direct seed cropping systems.
Planter/Drill Considerations for Conservation Tillage Systems
Virginia Cooperative Extension
No-till on the Plains
No-till on the Plains Inc. is a non-profit educational organization providing information to farmers on adopting No-till and other sustainable production methods, and further developing those techniques.
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: amcguire@wsu.edu, 509.754.2011 ext. 413; fax 509.754.0163. PO Box 37 (35C St NW) Ephrata, WA 98823.