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<br />Page 34
<br />
<br />Friday. May 31.1985
<br />
<br />Rocky Mountain News
<br />
<br />State/Region
<br />
<br />'No-till' program urged to curb erosion
<br />
<br />By DEBORAH FRAZIER
<br />R<<:~y 1knIr>1.... '- SI&tl Wnt.-
<br />
<br />~:roslontookm"rt'tIlBnl(lOmmionIOns
<br />01 topllOiJ - thpequivalent 019 mtllion
<br />,1('tl"S - frum Colorado farmLand last
<br />yrar, and agricullurall!lpl.rtJ Thur-.day
<br />advocatl'da"no-lill" P"'llram 10 Sllve soil,
<br />ttlilandmoney.
<br />The tJ.S, Soil COllM'rntion s..'fVlCe PSti-
<br />m:.t"" tMt wind i1nd water erode 185 mil-
<br />hona('T(':\In;'Uona1Iyeaellyear,in(']udinR9
<br />million In Colorado.
<br />At the Monsanto fo'Ot1Jm on Reduced
<br />TilJagelleld in Ol-nvff, farmers, fedf'fa.1
<br />olfict.1lsandagrk'lIltllralrnsearcbefl,dil-
<br />CU8I\t.>dwaysto("Urb~lon.including"no
<br />lill."
<br />Tradllionally.larm('raplowuplheMub-
<br />IIlpaflpr till' harvesl and till thefi<'ld
<br />M>vtral llrntt W control wl"t'd~ bt-fono
<br />I,t.mt'nglb"lM'.tcrop
<br />
<br />Each limp a firld i~ plowl'd. tile $OIl
<br />hn>lIksupand ('anbf'piekl'd Upml>TE'
<br /><'llsily by wind InColurado andolhl'l" arid
<br />sLat~tilhngalsujncrt'3M'5evaporationl1f
<br />moisture from the!lOil.
<br />Rud Mf'kt'lburg. pn>sldtnt of the Nation-
<br />alA$aOcilltionofCon.wrvalionDistrict.s.
<br />advoc-atedtillingoolyonceafll'l"harvl'llt
<br />and applying a herbicide at Illat tilllf'IO
<br />rontrolwto'ds.
<br />Th.. main ben-efit from less tilling Is
<br />rNllcrdsoilptmiolol'l.butthPpractiC\"al:;o
<br />improves moisture rel!'nlion_ and crop
<br />yirlds.hesaid
<br />"A d.....n field 10lllt5 nice. 001 looks
<br />shouldn't dit1atl'theaMwt'l" 10 erosion."
<br />said Mrkelburg,....hoalsoownsandopl'1"-
<br />~t.., a S.l)Oo.al'ft' farm in Yuma, Colo,
<br />Thl'Soil Corn;c'rvation Sl'rviceflllimilletl
<br />thaI44pt"rcentoflhecroplandintbl'
<br />United SlatCllI\all an eTO$iOll rate beyond
<br />itssoilT('plaCffill'ntratl'.
<br />Tile 11l<'n>i1-wd IISO!' of fl"f"tllill'f", pMli-
<br />
<br />cidesandhl'rbirideshadmaskl'dadl't'lil>f'
<br />'nllOilprodllctivityfroml'rQ!;ion.buttltl'
<br />eltemicaiswtll not rompt"fISIlte forllOil losa
<br />in tM'futuf'<', l\:ltd Jim Lake.dir('('torof
<br />tile Consl'rvatton TilIaRl' Informat,onCen-
<br />:.'r.
<br />Virgil Kochis. who farms noear Limon.
<br />....ason a eon!ICrvaliontillagepanl'lat Ibl',
<br />forum. tit:' said ron.'.'ntional farmt'ntill
<br />~our or fivl' lltnf"l a year to rontrol wl"t'd~.
<br />l'lowinc once and applyinglln Iwrbiddl'
<br />wasmor!'e5pem;ive~llbouIUSOanacre
<br />in labor and S9 w $10 an arre forclH-mi-
<br />cals-but his yields;and profits had dou.
<br />bled, Kocltissaid.
<br />"I(your idra of summer re<'relltion i~
<br />driving your trat-tor, then n>dul?d tillage
<br />is not for you.~ Kochis lliIid "Bul I just
<br />don"l llavt" thl' time 10 sit on tile tractor.
<br />RI.'d~ tillagl' gives me linw for desk
<br />farming, and I mak!' m~ lTl(ln...y lhat way
<br />thans!ltingonatraetnr:'
<br />Ill" said th('stubbl!' h'll In thr field not
<br />
<br />onlycurbr>d soli t>TOI<iclll. but protl"df'dlht"
<br />n!'1I:t crop by tTl';tttnR a wind brt>ak. Ko-
<br />chis. wllostaned redu"<"d till",,,e farming
<br />in 1976.il-3id Iwnow U!lf':!l only one tractor
<br />in.<t(,;ld olfOllr, rl!'duclngblsop<'rating
<br />t'lr.\t5inlhelongrun
<br />KOl-bis~ndMf'kelhurlllaidconSCTVation
<br />til1:tgr wall catching OIl lIlnwly IImnng
<br />farmen.p.lrtiall).bl'cIlUSllofth"a""th!'liC
<br />appealo! a tidily plowed field,
<br />"Traditionally. 1./1<' only way to farm is
<br />with a clean fjeld." Jim Lakr !I.lid. "R.,l
<br />with CIln'lervalioo tillagl!, YOll don'l nf'l"ll
<br />all thalne", equipml'nt to till with:' .
<br />Lakl'$1tidaboul33 per<<-nt 01 all wheat,
<br />barley and oIb('r !ml.all grain acrl'aRe in
<br />the Unitl'd States has shifted to a conser-
<br />valiontil1agI'PI"Ofl:TDm.lnl984.34p!'~nt
<br />ofColorado'sa(Tl'allewasina('(l~'rva_
<br />lion UII.1Re program,
<br />"Wearegq,nlltoha~aoagrlC\lllul"I"ln
<br />t.... fuluM' wh!'n> lIOiI ('(I1I!Il'rvati01l ill an
<br />t>~:<;('ntial romplln""t," Ml"t.elburg IliIld.
<br />
<br />.. ~,' "'"' -----r~ 7 ~ , ~'.. -....... -',-,\ Weld police predict
<br /> ~o, i ....
<br /> ., >4- .:,# .~~:. arrest . UNC
<br /> ., .I soon In
<br /> ,
<br /> ,
<br />~; '~ student's death
<br />. . ."r.
<br /> ..,...
<br />,,\ .,~~
<br />,,,.'.,, .. ~ .\ -~.:'- -.J
<br /> . " "4<i~:, By DEBORAH FRAZI,ER
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