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THE CROP RESIDUE DILEMMA

          Today, Federal and State agencies are requiring farmers to file a crop residue management plan for all land under cultivation.  According to government regulations, a given percentage of crop residue must be left on the top of the soil.  They are also beginning to regulate the amount of nitrogen that can be used on farmland.  These requirements vary according to soil type, nitrogen, and crop residue content of the soil.

          To a farmer, crop residue can either be a curse, or a blessing.  When the crop residue remains on and in the soil, and are not broken down properly, they become a breeding ground for both plant diseases and insect pests.  Many of the chemicals used today have created a situation that does not allow crop residue to break down. In fact, they tend to embalm crop residue, preventing residue break down from occurring.  In contrast, if the crop residue is allowed to break down into organic matter and finally into humus, it becomes a rich, natural form of nutrients for plant growth.

          There are several ways farmers can deal with crop residue.  Crop residue can be eliminated by burning the fields off after harvest.  Burning crop residue does eliminate the residue, but has some drawbacks.  Air quality can be adversely affected by the smoke that is produced from residue burning.  In many areas across the United States, agricultural burning is restricted and in some areas, banned altogether.  When the residue is burned, a lot of the nutrients it contains are destroyed and lost.  Crop residue burning also does physical damage to the soil.  As fire moves across a field, it not only destroys beneficial organisms, but actually sucks the oxygen from the soil.  This leaves many small voids between soil molecules, since the oxygen that usually occupies these spaces in the soil has been consumed by the fire.  The weight of the soil compresses the soil into these voids, causing a soil compaction.  Also, some microorganisms die because of the lack of the oxygen that was sucked from the soil.

          Another common way to eliminate crop residue is by working the residue down with a heavy application of nitrogen fertilizer.  The nitrogen will burn up the crop residue, but the nitrogen leaches through the soil in the process.  There are two drawbacks to this method of disposal.  First, the farmer gains very little benefit from either the extra nitrogen applied, or the nutrients contained in the residue.  On the whole, it is simply an added cost of production.  Second, the nitrogen that leaches through the soil will eventually reach the underground water table.

          In many agricultural areas across the United States, the nitrate levels have become so high they have even become a problem in very deep water tables in several agricultural areas.  We must be careful to preserve the quality of our water resources, as all life is dependent on water.

          The best way to deal with crop residue is to incorporate it into the soil and allow it to break down into organic matter.  A small portion of the organic matter, in turn, will be further broken down into humus.  Humus contains nutrients in a form the plant can readily utilize for growth.  The humus cycle is a naturally occurring cycle.  The problem is some of today’s modern farming techniques have interrupted and even stopped the humus cycle.  When this occurs, crop residue becomes a liability to the farmer rather than an asset.  Many farmers find that the crop residue they plow down remains virtually unchanged season after season. Instead of breaking down, the crop residue has virtually become embalmed.  This creates not only a pest and disease problem, but crop production and harvesting problems, as well.

          For more information on how Kozgro's organic fertilizer and plant food, AFB, can help you with crop production call your Kozgro dealer or; call Kozgro, Inc. at 1-800-9 KOZGRO (956-9476).

KOZGRO WORKS WITH NATURE - NOT AGAINST NATURE