Cropland Practices

Croplands practices reduce erosion and increase the carbon sequestration potential of a field under cultivation. Each practice is defined by NRCS conservation standards; link through 

• Cover Cropping
  • Planting a crop that will not be harvested or grazed. This can improve water holding capacity and penetration and soil fertility but it can also increase irrigation needs. 
• Conservation Crop Rotation
  • A planned crop rotation that uses the qualities of the different crops to reduce erosion and nutrient loss 
• Mulching
  • Applying plant residues, like wood chips, dead cover crops, or compost, to the land. 
• Nutrient Management that reduces synthetic fertilizer use by 15%
  • Producing a nutrient management plan that improves nutrient application efficiency and timing so that overall synthetic fertilizer use decreases by at least 15% 
• No till
  • Managing crops without disturbing the soil with tillage operations. 
• Reduced till
  • Managing crops by only tilling the soil when absolutely necessary and leaving as much soil undisturbed as possible 
• Strip Cropping
  • Growing strips of erosion-resistant crops in between the strips of crops that are more susceptible to erosion, to decrease the overall erosion potential of a field