On such soils, increasing water intake usually increases yield. Mechanical cultivation, which breaks up an existing crust, will usually raise yields on well-drained soils. On soil where crusting is not a problem, cultivation may be of no benefit except to control weeds. Cultivation should be deep enough to break up the crust, but not so deep as to damage plant root systems. Using a tillage system that leaves crop residues on the surface also reduces crusting.
Residues reduce the raindrop impact, which is what produces the crust in the first place.
Reducing traffic, especially when soil is wet, is extremely beneficial in maintaining infiltration capacity. Because the harvesting traffic in late fall is particularly harmful, single-axle loads should be reduced as much as possible. This results in more of the soil water being potentially available for crop use. In some years, proper timing of forage harvests may save large quantities of water for later growth. As forage crops approach recommended stages for cutting, the amount of dry matter produced for every gallon of water used declines rapidly.