MISSION AREA – Evaluation of the use of rollers/harrows after seeding in practice standard 329

AGENCY – Natural Resource Conservation Service

STATE – Washington State

DATE – May 2012

1.Issue title – Removal of Rollers/Harrows from Full-Width Tillage category under practice standard 329

Background:

Over the past 5-10 years, producers in Washington State have been able to participate in the NRCS EQIP program receiving an estimated $20/acre payment when implementing direct seed practices under standard 329. However, we believe during this time period that producers using a roller and/or harrow system after seeding were simply moved into the Mulch Till practice standard 345 which enabled them to qualify using that equipment while receiving the same payment as those implementing practice standard 329.

As stated in the practice standard, the producer must maintain a system and rotation that is below the 30 STIR rating for practice 329 Direct Seed and No-till. However, it also states that there is NO full-width tillage allowed in the system or the producer is not considered to be eligible for the standard. It is under that premise that all direct seeders using a harrow or roller after seeding are being excluded from participating in the direct seed practice because both operations are being considered full-width tillage. After discussions with many involved in the industry and with NRCS staff in working through RUSLE2 runs to better understand the process, we have come to the conclusion that there may be a misinterpretation of what equipment is actually being used in these systems and exactly what their real impact is on the soil.

The impact to producers today is that NRCS has now separated the payment rates for these two practices and there is an approximate $30/acre difference between producers qualifying for Practice Standard 345 and Standard 329.

Talking Points:

1)A roller is used in Eastern Washington systems for the purpose of pushing rocks into the ground so that they will not be scooped up by the combine header during harvest. This implement is used only in rotations where lentils and peas are being grown and where the header of the combine must be run directly on the ground in order to pick up the crop at harvest time. Without the rotational benefits of a legume crop, the system typically fails or falls short of yield projections due to disease and other challenges. This means that the roller would only be used one-time over the course of a three year rotation and one-time over the course of your standard 3-year EQIP contract.

  1. It must also be noted that the rollers used in these systems are not your standard heavy smooth drum rollers or sheep’s foot rollers that as are used on construction sites for the sole purpose of compacting the land. The rollers used today have smooth ribs that run on the ground with the purpose of implanting the rocks back in the soil and for smoothing the tops of the seed furrows so harvesting of the crop is made easier.
  2. It is also very important to understand the impact of these rollers on the land when used in a direct seed or no-till system versus that of a convention tillage system. When used in a direct seed system, these implements have little to no impact on the soil as they are now running on the top of heavy residue which acts like a buffer between the roller and the soil while still enabling the roller to perform its job in rocky soils where the harvesting of the crop is the most important consideration.
  3. And finally, it must be recognized that your own field staff have the expertise and experience to select different options within the RUSLE2 system that would not only enable these practices to be utilized within a direct seed system, but it would also recognize that these systems are now fully within the boundaries of the practice standard using the STIR ratings and are NOT considered to be full-width tillage. The options are currently available within the RUSLE2 system, but it is our understanding that they have been directed in the past to not use those options which would ultimately allow the use of those implements within Practice Standard 329.

2)A harrow operation is also in question at this time after seeding in a direct seed system. The issue is that many producers utilize a system of harrow tines or bars as part of their direct seed system. These tines or bar harrows are used to close the seed rows behind a high disturbance drill opener to avoid excessive moisture loss and to smooth the tops of the seed furrows created by the drill.

  1. A harrow operation performed after seeding should be recognized very similarly to that of the roller system where very little impact is made when it is run on heavy residue. It does not perform any full width tillage as it would be disturbing the seed zone and the residue is once again acting as a buffer to the soil and the harrow merely smoothes the seed furrows and seals the ground from further moisture loss. This practice is also available within RUSLE2 by using a harrow on heavy residue and we believe that this should be evaluated by ensuring that the producers meet the 30 STIR rating but without the practice being thrown in to the full-width tillage category. It is the opinion of all parties involved up to this point that the drill itself is the operation performing the ground disturbance and the harrow that follows has little to no effect on the disturbance of the soil which would remove it from the full-width tillage category and once again allow those producers to meet standard 329.

*It is important to note that under both scenarios above, roller on heavy residue or harrow on heavy residue, the STIR ratings are vastly different from those using a conventional tillage system. In many cases the equipment being used is having far less impact on the soil in a direct seed or no-till system versus a conventional system where there is no residue buffer between the roller or harrow and the soil.*

Problem Statement

RESIDUE AND TILLAGE MANAGEMENT-NO TILL/STRIP TILL/DIRECT SEED practice standard has the following Definition and Purpose:

DEFINITION

Managing the amount, orientation anddistribution of crop and other plant residue onthe soil surface year round while limiting soildisturbingactivities to only those necessary toplace nutrients, condition residue and plantcrops.

PURPOSE

  • Reduce sheet and rill erosion.
  • Reduce wind erosion.
  • Improve soil organic matter content.
  • Reduce CO2 losses from the soil.
  • Reduce soil particulate emissions.
  • Increase plant-available moisture.
  • Provide food and escape cover for wildlife.

The use of rollers and/or harrows in a direct seed or no-till system are considered by many area producers, conservation districts, researchers, and private agronomists to be complimentary and necessary to make the system work.

The rollers on heavy residue are being used to achieve the goal of accurately placing the seed in an environment where harvest is possible without undue damage to very expensive combines and headers that must run direct on the ground to bring the crop into the combine. The roller simply implants any rocks that were brought to the surface during the seeding operation back into the ground so they are less likely to be scooped into the combine during harvest.

The harrow pass is achieving another one of the stated purposes which is to increase plant-available moisture. This is done by closing the seed furrows and sealing the moisture in the ground. It is also performing a residue distribution function after seeding by ensuring that any residue that has been moved by the seed drill will be redistributed back over the seed furrows.

The Problem is that the rollers and harrows being used after seeding in a direct seed or no-till system are being considered full-width tillage by NRCS which immediately removes those producers from consideration for Practice Standard 329. With the new payment rates for Practice Standard 329 being $30+/acre higher than Standard 345 Mulch Till, producers are now less inclined to adopt the direct seed system due to the fact that they are no longer meeting the requirement set forth by the NRCS standard.

Recommendation to the State Conservationist

It is clear that there are many methods of accomplishing the same goal of soil and water protection in the region and that direct seed and no-till are clearly one of the best methods to achieve both outcomes. We believe that the use of these implements fall well within the guidelines of the program and also meet the STIR rating requirements of the program.

The Conservation programs like EQIP, where this issue is having the biggest impact today, was developed to help producers transition to conservation practices that all of us feel are beneficial to the environment and to the producers themselves. With a directive in place within NRCS field offices that disallows the use of the BMPs that best describe what is actually occurring on the land with a roller and/or harrow after seeding, we are losing those very people that the conservation programs were designed to help and which will have the biggest impacts on the environment.

It is the recommendation of the Spokane Conservation District, Palouse-Rock Lake Conservation District, Pine Creek Conservation District, Palouse Conservation District, the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association, the McGregor Company, area researchers, and farmers throughout the region to the Washington State Conservationist to set aside the full-width tillage designation when using rollers and/or harrows after seeding as part of a direct seed or no-till system and enable those implements to stand on their own merits in meeting the overall STIR rating of 30 or less in qualifying for Practice Standard 329.