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Bringing Marginal Land Into Production

Bringing Marginal Land Into Production. Don Day Extension Associate - Energy. Concerns. Yield potential Erosion potential Practices needed Farm program constraints. Conservation Problem – Soil Erosion. Early Soil Erosion Research. Early Conservation in Missouri.

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Bringing Marginal Land Into Production

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  1. Bringing Marginal Land Into Production Don Day Extension Associate - Energy

  2. Concerns • Yield potential • Erosion potential • Practices needed • Farm program constraints

  3. Conservation Problem – Soil Erosion

  4. Early Soil Erosion Research

  5. Early Conservation in Missouri

  6. Aerial View of Erosion Plots

  7. 26 Plots on First Tier

  8. Upslope View

  9. Gully erosion Sheet and rill erosion Types of Erosion

  10. Effectiveness of Conservation Measures • Universal Soil Loss Equation: • A = R x K x LS x C x P • A = Soil erosion in tons per acre per year • R = Rainfall factor • K = Soil erodibility factor • LS = Slope length and steepness factor • C = Cover and management factor • P = Erosion control practice factor

  11. What We Can Control • Slope length factor • Cover and management factor • Erosion control practice factor

  12. Conservation Practices to Solve the Problem • Contour farming • Waterways • Terraces • Conservation tillage • No-till

  13. Contour Farming • Rows planted on the contour • Can reduce erosion by up to 50%

  14. Waterways • Transport large volumes of water • Can reduce gully erosion

  15. Waterways • Cost could be about $2600 per acre of waterway • Cost share is available • Equipment has to be raised to cross them • Herbicide damage can occur • Establishment can be difficult

  16. Terraces • Reduce length of slope • Transport water to waterway

  17. Terraces • Cost can be considerable • Cost share available • If grass waterways are used, added time for establishment • May be more difficult to farm • Maintenance cost

  18. Conservation Tillage • Greater than 30% ground cover

  19. Strip Cropping

  20. Strip Cropping • Could use perennials • Switchgrass • Miscanthus • Less cost than terraces

  21. No-Till • Machinery had to be developed

  22. No Till • May need machinery investment • Cost share may be available • New management techniques • May not solve all gully erosion problems

  23. Live. And Learn.

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