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Preservation of No-Till

County: Morrow 

Resource Concern: 

  • Plant pressure - Plant pest pressure
  • Air quality emissions - Emissions of ozone precursors, Emissions of greenhouse gases - GHGs, Emissions of particulate matter (PM) and PM precursors
  • Wind and water erosion - Sheet and rill erosion, Wind erosion
     

Project Description
The Preservation of No-Till CIS is based on an overall purpose to preserve the no-till method of farming (making fallow). Specific objectives are to: (1) reduce potential soil erosion, (2) minimize pesticide loading into the environment, and (3) adopt precision technologies to combat herbicide resistance. No-till fallow is common in Morrow County, but there has been (and continues to be) an evolving transition back to tillage fallow. Tillage is now utilized on approximately 25,000 acres in Morrow County. Eighty percent of this area (20,000 acres) is farmed by individuals who previously relied solely on the no-till system. This is a change that has taken place during the last five years. Dependency on tillage fallow is fostered by the escalating and prohibitive cost of herbicides along with chemical resistance issues. With the adoption of advanced farming technologies, we aim to curb herbicide resistant plants with specific applications at correct times and rates while preserving the no-till system and all its resource benefits. 

Conservation Practices

  • Residue and Tillage Management, No Till (329)
  • Residue and Tillage Management, Reduced Till (345)
  • Conservation Crop Rotation (328)
  • Pest Management Conservation System (595)

Project Partners

  • Oregon State University
  • Oregon Wheat Growers League
  • Port of Morrow Workforce Training Program
  • Morrow County Soil and Water Conservation District
  • NRCS Oregon
  • Private landowners

Application Questions
NRCS uses prioritization questions to evaluate applications for this initiative. See the list of workload prioritization questions on the Oregon EQIP page. Ranking questions below will also apply.

Ranking Questions

  1. For a majority of the proposed fields, the applicant:
    a) uses a no-till practice
    b) uses a reduced-till practice
    c) none of the above
  2. Using a completed In-Field Soil Health Assessment
    a) 8 or more assessment criteria was marked Yes
    b) 6-7 assessment criteria was marked Yes
    c) 5 or less assessment criteria was marked Yes
                   
  3. Will the planned practice(s) convert a conventional/low residue system back to a no-till or reduced-till?
  4. Will the planned practice(s) result in adoption of precision ag technology that reduces excess herbicide applied to cropland?
  5. Does the applicant use basic integrated pest management techniques?                    
  6. Does applicant currently have more than one crop species included in their crop rotation?