The drought monitor report as of Tuesday, Aug. 27 shows a slight deterioration in drought conditions for the state. The percentage of the state abnormally dry increased slightly and the percentage of the state totally out of drought decreased slightly. Barton County and the area is a bit worse. This doesn’t reflect the precipitation we received Tuesday or after. The six to ten-day outlook (Sept. 3 to 7) indicates near normal temperatures and normal to slightly below normal for precipitation. The eight to 14-day outlook (Sept. 5 to 11) indicates near normal temperatures and normal to slightly below normal for precipitation.

If you read this column regularly, eliminating tillage totally, or at least as much as possible is a recurring theme. The advantages of successful no-till farming include:

· Eliminating soil wind and water erosion along with increasing water infiltration rates, decreasing soil water evaporation, and keeping soil cooler during summer months.

· It also improves soil structure, increases soil organic matter levels and water holding capacity.

· No-tillage also decreases fuel and labor costs while increasing efficiency and timeliness of operations.

However, as with any system, there are potential drawbacks and those may include:

· Increased use of chemical pest control, especially for weeds. This is even more difficult with the many herbicide resistant weeds. Insect and disease pressure can also increase with the accumulation crop residues on the soil surface. This makes crop rotations more important but in certain parts of the state, options are quite limited.

· It takes time for total no-till to develop the benefits described above, especially in the drier parts of the state. Poor soil conditions don’t improve overnight and take even longer in drier parts of the state.

· Finally, depending on the soil and residue conditions, some plants such as wheat and winter canola are more challenging to establish no-till, especially in heavy residue.

Naturally, there’s more and this isn’t a column promoting an increase in aggressive tillage. It is about what can be done to minimize tillage but deal with the above-mentioned problems. There is an alternative under dryland conditions. K-State has a report out from an ongoing study in Western Kansas at (https://eupdate.agronomy.ksu.edu/article/occasional-tillage-strategies-in-dryland-cropping-systems-605-3) that would be worth your time. This is shallow tillage with something like sweeps set at one to two inches for weed control. 

Naturally timing is important but the upshot is it can be done without significantly negatively affecting soil properties and yield.

Dr. Victor L. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for Barton Community College. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.