Conservation farming in the United States : the methods of accomplishments of the STEEP program

CONSERVATION FARMING IN THE UNITED STATES: THE METHODS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE STEEP PROGRAM......Page 1 Preface......Page 3 Editors......Page 6 Contributors......Page 7 Table of Contents......Page 9 1.1 INTRODUCTION......Page 11 1.2 EROSION PROBLEMS IN EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN IDAHO......Page 13 1.3 EROSION RESEARCH IN EASTERN OREGON......Page 15 1.4 EROSION PROBLEMS IN WESTERN OREGON AND WASHINGTON......Page 16 1.5 THE HISTORY OF STEEP......Page 17 REFERENCES......Page 19 CONTENTS......Page 21 2.1 THE STEEP PROGRAM......Page 22 2.3 ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROGRAM......Page 24 2.5 STEEP RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS......Page 25 2.5.4 PEST CONTROL......Page 26 2.5.5 SOCIOECONOMICS AND PRODUCTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS......Page 27 2.7 FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR STEEP......Page 28 2.9 CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 29 REFERENCES......Page 30 3.1.1 BACKGROUND......Page 33 3.1.2 THE FINITE SOIL RESOURCE......Page 34 3.1.3 MAGNITUDE AND NATURE OF THE EROSION PROBLEM......Page 36 3.2.1 BACKGROUND......Page 37 3.2.2.1 1973 Adaptation of the USLE......Page 40 3.2.2.2 1983 Adaptation of the USLE......Page 42 3.2.2.3 Adaptation of RUSLE......Page 43 3.2.2.4 WEPP......Page 50 3.3.1 EFFECT OF EROSION ON TOPSOIL DEPTH AND OTHER SOIL PROPERTIES......Page 51 3.3.2 TOPSOIL DEPTH AND CROP PRODUCTIVITY......Page 57 REFERENCES......Page 61 CONTENTS......Page 67 4.2 THE CASE FOR FALL SEEDING AND SPRING SEEDING AND TILLAGE EFFECTS......Page 68 4.2.1 WINTER WHEAT FOLLOWING A LOW-RESIDUE CROP......Page 69 4.2.2 FALLOW......Page 70 4.2.4 CONTINUOUS SPRING CROPPING......Page 71 4.3.1 FACTORS AFFECTING CROP RESIDUE DECOMPOSITION......Page 72 4.4 MODELING CROP RESIDUE DECOMPOSITION......Page 74 4.5.1 THEORY USED IN THE RESMAN......Page 75 4.6 LOW-INPUT, ON-FARM COMPOSTING......Page 78 REFERENCES......Page 79 5.1 INTRODUCTION......Page 83 5.2 AGRONOMIC ZONES FOR THE INTERMOUNTAIN PACIFIC NORTHWEST......Page 84 5.2.1 CLIMATE, SOIL, AND EROSION POTENTIAL......Page 87 5.2.2 PRIMARY CROPS, ALTERNATE CROPS, AND DOMINANT CROP ROTATIONS......Page 89 5.3.1 THE MOUNTAIN ZONE—ZONE 1......Page 90 5.3.2 THE ANNUAL CROP ZONE—ZONE 2......Page 92 5.3.3 THE ANNUAL CROP–FALLOW TRANSITION ZONE—ZONE 3......Page 94 5.3.4 THE ARID ZONES?ZONE 4 SHALLOW SOIL AND ZONE 5 DEEP SOIL......Page 95 5.4.1 CROP RESIDUES......Page 96 5.4.2 CROPS......Page 99 5.4.4 SOIL PROPERTIES......Page 100 REFERENCES......Page 101 6.1 INTRODUCTION......Page 106 6.2 GENERAL IPM CONCEPTS......Page 107 6.3.1 WEEDS......Page 108 6.3.2 INSECTS......Page 114 6.3.3 DISEASES......Page 119 6.4 IPM PROGRAMS BY AGRONOMIC ZONES......Page 123 6.4.1 THE MOUNTAIN ZONE—ZONE 1......Page 124 6.4.2 THE PALOUSE ZONE—ZONE 2......Page 126 6.4.3 WHEAT–PEA ZONE—ZONE 3......Page 127 6.4.4 ARID ZONE 匀䠀䄀䰀䰀伀圀 匀伀䤀䰀匀—ZONE 4......Page 128 6.4.5 ARID ZONE 䐀䔀䔀倀 匀伀䤀䰀匀—ZONE 5......Page 129 REFERENCES......Page 133 CONTENTS......Page 137 7.1.1 SHANK-TYPE OPENERS......Page 140 7.1.2 DISK OPENERS......Page 142 7.2 MINIMUM-TILL AND NO-TILL PLANTERS......Page 143 7.2.1 THE YIELDER......Page 145 7.3.2 HAYBUSTER......Page 148 7.4.1 AIR SEEDERS......Page 150 7.4.2 AIR DRILLS......Page 151 7.4.3 CHISEL-PLUS-DRILL......Page 154 7.5 DRILL COMPARISONS WITH MINIMUM TILLAGE......Page 155 7.6 FERTILIZER PLACEMENT......Page 157 7.7.1 PARAPLOW......Page 158 7.7.2 SLOT-MULCH......Page 159 7.8.1 SPATIALLY VARIABLE FERTILIZER APPLICATION......Page 160 7.8.2 VARIABLE VARIETY SEEDING EQUIPMENT......Page 162 REFERENCES......Page 163 8.1 INTRODUCTION......Page 165 8.2 THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCALE......Page 166 8.4 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE......Page 167 8.5 THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF EROSION CONTROL IN THE PALOUSE......Page 169 8.5.1 LANDLORD-LESSEE ARRANGEMENTS......Page 170 8.5.2 KINSHIP AND EROSION CONTROL......Page 171 8.6 THE ROLE OF THE INNOVATION IN THE ADOPTION OF SOIL EROSION PRACTICES......Page 172 8.7 INDIVIDUAL FARMER CHARACTERISTICS AND EROSION CONTROL......Page 173 8.7.1 FARMER NETWORKS AND EROSION CONTROL......Page 174 CONCLUSION......Page 177 REFERENCES......Page 178 9.1 INTRODUCTION......Page 180 9.2 COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION FARMING SYSTEM......Page 181 9.3 CONSERVATION TILLAGE RESEARCH IN THE EASTERN PALOUSE......Page 183 9.3.1 DESCRIPTION: UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO STEEP TRIALS......Page 184 9.3.2 DESCRIPTION: USDA IPM TRIALS......Page 185 9.4.1 UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO STEEP TRIALS RESULTS......Page 186 9.4.3 SURVEY RESEARCH: FARMERS’ YIELD PERCEPTIONS......Page 188 9.4.4.1 Yield Comparisons......Page 189 9.4.4.2 Economic and Environmental Comparisons......Page 192 9.4.4.3 Research Comparisons......Page 194 9.5 COMPARISON WITH CURRENT FARM PRACTICES......Page 195 9.6 PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE......Page 196 REFERENCES......Page 197 10.1 EVOLUTION OF U.S. CONSERVATION AND COMMODITY POLICY......Page 199 10.2 STEEP RESEARCH ON COMMODITY POLICY IMPACTS ON CONSERVATION......Page 202 10.3 STEEP RESEARCH ON 1985 FOOD SECURITY ACT CONSERVATION PROVISIONS......Page 205 10.4 STEEP LAND RETIREMENT POLICY RESEARCH......Page 207 10.5 STEEP WATER QUALITY POLICY RESEARCH......Page 210 10.6 STEEP RESEARCH ON PROPOSALS FOR POLICY REFORM......Page 211 10.7 CONCLUSIONS......Page 214 REFERENCES......Page 216 11.1 BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION......Page 218 11.2.2 EXTENSION POSITIONS FOCUSING ON STEEP TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER......Page 219 11.3 METHODS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER......Page 220 11.3.3 EXTENSION PUBLICATIONS......Page 221 11.3.6 AUDIOVISUALS......Page 223 11.3.8 ORGANIZING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS......Page 224 11.3.9 ON-FARM TESTING AND FIELD DEMONSTRATIONS......Page 225 REFERENCES......Page 226 Conservation Farming in the United States explains the success of the multidisciplinary STEEP (Solutions to Economic and Environmental Problems) conservation project, currently in its third decade, which focuses on the Palouse and the Pacific Northwest. Topics addressed include integrated pest management; equipment for conservation farming; and the transfer of conservation farming technology to producers