The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its partners encourage farmers to “keep the stubble” on their harvested cropland fields and improve soil health during a special month-long No-Till November campaign.
No-tillage farming is one of the many ways to increase soil health and keep farms sustainable.
This campaign is mirrored after the cancer awareness “No Shave November” that encourages people not to shave during the entire month. This NRCS campaign encourages farmers to keep the crop stubble on their fields to protect the soil.
“What a creative and effective campaign NRCS across the nation has developed to encourage producers to Keep the Stubble,” said Texas State Conservationist Salvador Salinas. “In a state as big as Texas, no-till management systems not only benefit our natural resources and agricultural producers, but all Texans benefit from the resulting healthy soils, improved water quality and wildlife habitat.”
No-till farming is a conservation tillage practice used to reduce soil disturbance, increases soil biological activity, armors the soil reducing erosion and improves soil health in general while reducing the use of machinery and labor.
There are four basic soil health principles, according to NRCS: Keep the soil covered as much as possible; do not disturb the soil; keep plants growing throughout the year to feed soil organisms; and use plant diversity to increase diversity in the soil.
For more information about the No-Till November campaign, visit the Texas NRCS website.