What is the STIR (Soil Tillage Intensity Rating) Factor?
Along with the SCI, the RUSLE2 program calculates and outputs STIR values both for the entire rotation and for each crop year interval. This value is an indication of the amount of soil disturbance occurring during farm operations. Soil disturbance tends to release carbon stored in the soil, thus reducing soil organic matter content. It is useful to use STIR to compare the relative amount and severity of soil disturbance of different tillage systems. Conventional tillage systems have high STIR values while reduced tillage systems have lower STIR values.
