Avoiding fall tillage will help minimize topsoil blowing in the winter.
Topsoil is the most fertile layer of soil, rich in microbial activity and essential for crop production. When it erodes, thousands of dollars’ worth of nutrients and organic matter erode with it.
“A common belief is that topsoil only erodes in the spring, the growing season or the fall,” says Naeem Kalwar, North Dakota State University Extension soil health specialist at NDSU’s Langdon Research Extension Center. “However, much wind-related soil erosion happens in the winter and is a direct result of fall tillage.”
Tillage loosens soil that would otherwise be held together by crop roots and fall volunteer crop growth, even if no cover crop is planted. Kalwar recommends leaving crop stubble as high as possible for all crops and spreading crop residue evenly across the field during harvest if not tilling in the fall.
“Leaving the crop stubble high will help capture snowfall, reduce or eliminate wind soil erosion, and dry out the soil in the spring,” says Kalwar. “By not conducting fall tillage, crop residue is more likely to stay in the field, allowing residue decomposition and nutrient cycling to stay in the field instead of having the crop residue blowing away.”
Source : ndsu.edu