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September 2016

NRCS reviews and periodically updates conservation practice standards. To 

obtain the current version of this standard, contact your Natural Resources 

Conservation Service State office or visit the Field Office Technical Guide.

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Natural Resources Conservation Service

CONSERVATION PRACTICE STANDARD 

RESIDUE AND TILLAGE MANAGEMENT, REDUCED TILL

Code 345

(Ac)

DEFINITION

Managing the amount, orientation, and distribution of crop and other plant residue on the soil surface 

year-round while limiting soil-disturbing activities used to grow and harvest crops in systems where the 

field surface is tilled prior to planting. 

PURPOSE (resource concern)

• Reduce sheet, rill, and wind erosion and excessive sediment in surface waters (soil erosion).

• Reduce tillage-induced particulate emissions (air quality impact).

• Improve soil health and maintain or increase organic matter content (soil quality degradation).

• Reduce energy use (inefficient energy use).

CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES

This practice applies to all cropland.

CRITERIA

General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes

This practice includes tillage methods commonly referred to as mulch tillage or conservation tillage where 

the entire soil surface may be disturbed by tillage operations such as chisel plowing, field cultivating, 

tandem disking, or vertical tillage. It also includes tillage/planting systems with few tillage operations 

(e.g., ridge till) but which do not meet the soil tillage intensity rating (STIR) criteria for conservation 

practice Residue and Tillage Management, No Till (Code 329).

Uniformly distribute residues over the entire field. Removing residue from the row area prior to or as part 

of the planting operation is acceptable.

Do not burn residues, except for a light-to-moderate burn of sugarcane residue after harvest (as 

described in the wind and water erosion operations database).

The STIR value shall include all soil disturbance field operations that are performed during the crop 

interval (i.e., from the time immediately following harvest or termination of one cash crop through harvest 

or termination of the next cash crop in the rotation, including fallow periods). The crop interval STIR 

value rating shall be no greater than 80, and no primary inversion tillage implements (e.g., moldboard 

plow) shall be used.
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Additional Criteria to Reduce Sheet, Rill and Wind Erosion, and Excessive Sediment in Surface 

Waters

Use the current approved water and wind erosion prediction technology to document/determine the field 

operations to achieve the amount of randomly distributed surface residue needed, time of year residue 

needs to be present in the field, and the planned field operations allowed to reduce erosion to the desired 

level. Calculations shall account for the effects of other practices in the management system.

In ridge-till systems, plan ridge height and ridge orientation to manage runoff and minimize erosion, with 

a maximum row grade not to exceed four percent.

Additional Criteria to Reduce Tillage-Induced Particulate Emissions

Reduce or modify tillage operations that create dust, especially during critical air quality periods.

Additional Criteria to Improve Soil Health and Maintain or Increase Organic Matter Content

Ensure the soil condition index (SCI) for the cropping system results in a rating of greater than zero.

Additional Criteria to Reduce Energy Use

Reduce the total energy consumption associated with field operations by at least 25 percent compared to 

the benchmark condition. Use the current approved NRCS tool for determining energy use to document 

energy use reductions.

CONSIDERATIONS

General Considerations

Removal of crop residue, such as by baling or grazing, can have a negative impact on resources. These 

activities should not be performed without full evaluation of impacts on soil, water, animal, plant, and air 

resources.

Reduced till may be practiced continuously throughout the crop sequence, or may be managed as part of 

a residue management system that includes other tillage methods such as no till. 

Production of adequate amounts of crop residue necessary for the proper functioning of this practice can 

be enhanced by selection of high residue-producing crops and crop varieties in the rotation, use of cover 

crops, and adjustment of plant populations and row spacing.

When providing technical assistance to organic producers, ensure residue and tillage management

activities are consistent with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service National Organic Program 

regulations.

Additional Considerations for Maintaining or Improving Soil Organic Matter Content and Soil 

Health

Carbon loss is directly related to the volume of soil disturbed, intensity of the disturbance and soil 

moisture content and soil temperature at the time the disturbance occurs. The following guidelines can 

make this practice more effective:

• When deep soil disturbance is performed, such as by subsoiling or fertilizer injection, make sure the 

vertical slot created by these implements is closed at the surface.

• Planting with a single disk opener no-till drill will release less CO2 and oxidize less organic matter 

than planting with a wide-point hoe/chisel opener seeder drill.

• Soil disturbance that occurs when soil temperatures are below 50° F will oxidize less organic matter 

and release less CO2 than operations done when the soil is warmer.

• Maximizing year-round coverage of the soil with living vegetation and/or crop residues builds 

organic matter and reduces soil temperature, thereby slowing organic matter oxidation.

• Use a diverse crop rotation by incorporating multiple crop types (cool-season grass, cool-season 

legume/forb, warm-season grass, warm-season legume/forb) into the crop rotation.
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September 2016

• Plant a cover crop after every cash crop in the rotation. Multispecies cover crop mixes provide 

greater benefits than single-specie cover crops.

• Using undercutting tools rather than burying tools will enhance accumulation of organic material in 

the surface layer.

• Conducting any soil-disturbing field operation when soil moisture is optimal, neither excessive nor 

too dry, will help maintain soil tilth, and reduce the need for additional tillage in the future.

Additional Considerations for Providing Food and Escape Cover for Wildlife

Avoid tillage and other soil- and residue/stubble-disturbing operations during the nesting season and 

brood-rearing period for ground-nesting species.

Forgo fall shredding or tillage operations to maximize the amount of wildlife food and cover during critical 

winter months.

Leaving rows of unharvested crop standing at intervals across the field or adjacent to permanent cover 

will enhance the value of residues for wildlife food and cover. Leaving unharvested crop rows for two 

growing seasons will further enhance the value of these areas for wildlife.

Use an approved habitat evaluation procedure to determine the appropriate time and amount of residue 

and stubble needed to provide adequate food and cover for target wildlife species.

PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS

Specifications shall be prepared for each site and purpose and recorded in the approved implementation 

requirements document.

• Purpose for applying the practice.

• Planned crop(s).

• Amount of residue produced by each crop.

• All field operations or activities that affect—

o Residue orientation.

o Surface disturbance.

o The field operations and amount of residue (pounds/acre or percent surface cover) required to 

accomplish the purpose, and the time of year it must be present.

• Planned STIR value, SCI value, and erosion rate.

• Benchmark and planned energy consumptions.

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

Evaluate/measure the crop residue cover and orientation for each crop to ensure the planned amounts 

and orientation are being achieved. Adjust management as needed to either plan a new residue amount 

or orientation; or adjust the planting, tillage, or harvesting equipment.

If there are areas of heavy residue accumulation (because of movement by water or wind) in the field,

spread the residue prior to planting so it does not interfere with planter operation.

REFERENCES

Kuepper, George, 2001. Pursuing conservation tillage systems for organic crop production. ATTRA.

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/organicmatters/conservationtillage.html.

Reicosky, D.C., M.J. Lindstrom, T.E. Schumacher, D.E. Lobb, and D.D. Malo. 2005. Tillage-induced CO2

loss across an eroded landscape. Soil Tillage Res. 81:183-194.

Reicosky, D.C. 2004. Tillage-induced soil properties and chamber mixing effects on gas exchange. Proc. 

16th Triennial Conf., Int. Soil Till. Org. (ISTRO).
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Renard, K.G., G.R. Foster, G.A. Weesies, D.K. McCool, and D.C. Yoder, coordinators. 1997. Predicting 

soil erosion by water: A guide to conservation planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 

(RUSLE). USDA, Agricultural Handbook 703. 

USDA-ARS. Skidmore, E.L. and N.P. Woodruff. 1968. Wind erosion forces in the United States and 

their use in predicting soil loss. USDA, Agriculture Handbook 346.

USDA, NRCS. 2011. National Agronomy Manual. 190-V. 4th Ed.