What implements would be acceptable for the conservation tillage contract?
No till planters, strip till planters, certain drills and air seeders, strip or knife type fertilizer and manure injectors, in row chisels or sub-soilers, and similar implements that only disturb strips and slots. A general “rule of thumb” has been that no more than a third of the surface areas of the soil should be disturbed, for instance no more than a 3 inch wide seed and fertilizer opener on a 10 inch spacing shank air seeder, or no more than a 10 inch wide disturbed strip in a 30 inch row crop spacing. Limited or emergency harrowing is acceptable only if necessary to spread residue to allow planting, but whole field annual harrowing is not. Also, implements designed to chop or size cornstalks are acceptable if used only once and at shallow depths. The use of subsoil disturbance or zone building implements is permitted as long as the third or less soil disturbance and surface sealing operations are present.
