SOIL HEALTH Alliance 15.12 Inches Annual Precipitation Watson - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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SOIL HEALTH Alliance 15.12 Inches Annual Precipitation Watson - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Aug 25, 2023 32 likes •452 views

SOIL HEALTH Alliance 15.12 Inches Annual Precipitation Watson Brothers Partnership 3,500 acres total 9 center pivots 2,200 acres dry land Complete continuous crop no till since 1994 Dry land Crop Rotation Winter Wheat-Corn-Field Pea

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SOIL HEALTH

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Alliance –15.12 Inches Annual Precipitation

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3,500 acres total 9 center pivots 2,200 acres dry land Complete continuous crop no till since 1994

Watson Brother’s Partnership

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Dry land Crop Rotation

  • Winter Wheat-Corn-Field Pea
  • 2/3 of rotation is planted to high

residue crops. Need high amounts of residue to improve water infiltration and lower soil moisture evaporation.

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IRRIGATED CROP ROTATION

  • Winter wheat, corn, dry

edible beans (pinto beans)

  • 2/3 high residue crops
  • Water infiltration and lower

soil moisture evaporation

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Soil Types

  • Valent Fine Sand
  • Water Holding Capacity- .96 inches/foot
  • Keith and Alliance Silt Loam
  • Water Holding Capacity- 1.8 inches/foot
  • Our problem is these soils are only 2 feet

deep, with a layer of white calcareous soils underneath

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Challenges

  • Soils have low water holding

capacities 4-6 inches

  • High Evapo-Transpiration rates
  • Rapidly Declining Groundwater
  • Water Allocations-
  • 13.5 in./year
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Box Butte County

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Challenges

  • Hydrologists estimate 5-8 inch

pumping allocations per pivot to stop groundwater decline

  • If groundwater pumping isn’t

reduced we’ll lose 80% of our irrigated acres in 30-40 years

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YOU HAVE TO START BY MANAGING YOUR SOIL!

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  • Focus on Soil Quality
  • Increased soil organic matter

leads to good soil aggregation and increased pore space in soil

  • Use previous crop’s residue to

improve water infiltration and reduce soil moisture evaporation

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Native Soil Structure

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Soil Compaction

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LONG TERM NO TILL

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MANAGING YOUR RESIDUE,

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STOP MANAGING RESIDUE WITH TILLAGE!

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MANAGE RESIDUE AT HARVEST

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MANAGE RESIDUE AT PLANTING

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SOIL MOISTURE SENSORS

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Watson Brother’s South Well

  • CURR_OWN WATSON/MARK H & BRUCE E
  • CONTACT_ID 966
  • QTR SW
  • SECTION_ 14
  • TOWNSHIP 26
  • RANGE 48
  • ACRES 136
  • SUBAREA 4
  • METER_SN 05-8-1840
  • IN_2007 9.22- winter wheat
  • IN_2008 7.51- corn
  • IN_2009 5.63- edible beans
  • In_2010 10.70- corn
  • In-2011 5.04- edible beans
  • In-2012 14.32- winter wheat, (cover crop-5 inches)
  • 6 Average-8.73
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Watson Brothers North Well

  • CURR_OWN WATSON/MARK H & BRUCE E
  • CONTACT_ID 966
  • QTR NW
  • SECTION_ 14
  • TOWNSHIP 26
  • RANGE 48
  • ACRES 273
  • SUBAREA 4
  • METER_SN 04-8-3886
  • IN_2007 10.12- corn, edible beans
  • IN_2008 7.83- edible beans, winter wheat
  • IN_2009 3.65- winter wheat, corn
  • In_2010 6.85- corn, edible beans
  • In-2011 4.3- winter wheat, corn
  • In- 2012 11.57- corn, edible beans
  • 6 year Average- 7.38
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LEGAL DESCRI PTION METER SERIAL # ACRES 5 year Average 2008 INCHES 2009 INCHES 2010 INCHES 2011 INCHES 2012 INCHES SE 30- 24-49 04-8- 4468 96 10.32 9.81 5.22 13.16 8.84 13.13 SW 29- 24-49 04-8- 4466 175 9.11 7.59 4.78 9.88 8.87 14.46 SW 28- 24-49 04-8- 4460 130 10.4 8.66 10.75 9.96 4.49 17.84 NW 28- 24-49 04-8- 4456 130 10.96 12.55 10.6 10.32 4.05 17.28 SE 29- 24-49 04-8- 4462 117 8.3 7.71 3.31 13.5 7.76 9.23

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WATER CONSERVATION

  • GOAL OF EVERY PRODUCER-ZERO

GROUNDWATER DEPLETION

  • GOAL IS ATTAINABLE WITH:
  • NO TILL CROP PRODUCTION
  • 2/3 ROTATION HIGH RESIDUE

CROPS

  • SOIL MOISTURE MONITORING
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SOIL HEALTH

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FORAGE/COVER CROPS

  • 80 LBS. FIELD PEAS
  • 5 LBS. FLAX
  • 2 LBS. NITRO RADISH
  • 2 LBS. SUNFLOWER
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FORAGE/COVER CROP GOALS

  • Manage Residue- turn residue

from high Carbon-Low Nitrogen into High Nitrogen- Low carbon

  • Improve early spring growth

in corn

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FORAGE/COVER CROP GOALS

  • Improve organic matter

content of soil

  • Improve diversity and

populations of soil microbes

  • Improve soil health
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FORAGE/COVER CROP GOALS

  • Reduce dependence on

commercial fertilizer

  • Forage for cattle
  • Concern- 5 inches of irrigation

to grow cover crop

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Watson Brothers Cover Crop November 14, 2012

Hay Yield, Ton/A @ 15 % Moisture

Cover Crop

Yield 8.84 Tons/A Nutrient Lbs of Nutrient/A Carbon C 6722 Nitrogen N 171.5 Phosphorus P2O5 28.5 Potassium K2O 114.6 Calcium Ca 140.2 Magnesium Mg 24.2 Sulfur S 21.2 Zinc Zn 0.248 Iron Fe 19.094 Manganese Mn 0.990 Copper Cu 0.060 C:N Ratio C:N 39 I estimate the N release to be about 50 lbs per acre. The release will be slower than normal because of the carbon in the sample. Ray

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Questions?