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Show Soil Compaction One of Worst Soil Problems by Lowell Woodward, Soil Conservation Service Soil compaction is becoming one of Utah County's worst soil problems. prob-lems. In these days of rubber tired tractors and heavy land leveling equipment our soils are becoming compacted to a point where plant roots won't penetrate. This condition con-dition is becoming alarming and deserves our utmost attention. Many farmers cultivate ' their row crops after irrigation to "conserve "con-serve moisture." This practice not only fails to oonserve moisture it does an extremely effective job of soil compaction. Dry soil does not compact easily. Moist soil does. A normal soil in this area has at least 50" per cent "pore" space or "air" space, by volume. This space is needed for water, air and roots. If this soil is compacted by as much as 10 per cent, root penetration penetra-tion may be stopped, and water penetration is seriously reduced. Where earthfill dams are constructed, con-structed, the soil is moistened and rolled with rubber-tired or sheeps-foot sheeps-foot rollers for maximum compaction. compac-tion. This minimizes water penetration pene-tration and makes a dam that will hold the water. On many of our farms we are doing almost as effection compaction compac-tion as the dam builders. We turn our livestock in the fields when the soil mosture is right for maximum max-imum compaction. This was the original or-iginal "sheepsfoot roller." We cultivate cul-tivate our row-crops with rubber tired tractors when moisture is optimum op-timum for compaction. We level our fields in the spring of the year or in the fall after rainstorms, when soil is moist. We use rubber-tired rubber-tired carry-alls, and sometimes rubber tired tractors. These practices prac-tices are temporarily ruining our fams. Farmers are asking our help to solve pproblems of poor production on land which formerly produced well. Many times the cause is traced trac-ed to soil compaction. Ralph Henderson, a farmer south of Spanish Fork, requested assistance assist-ance on his farm. In 1955 one field produced an excellent crop of corn. In 1956 over much of the area, the com was about 4 feet high. We dug a hole in the poor area with much difficulty. The soil to about a foot deep was almost as hard as concrete. On an adjacent area, where the corn was good, the spade couldl be pushed in the soil 12 to li inches easily. This land had been worked with a rubber tired tractor when the soil was wet. In addition to this it had been run over several times with a manure spreader. The result was obvious. What is the solution to such problems? The soil should be loosened loos-ened up to a depth of 12 or 14 inches or as dep as it is compacted. compact-ed. This should be done when soil is dry. Suitable equipment would include a Noble blade, chissels, sweeps or some types of subsoiling equipment. Land should receive heavy application of barnyard manure ma-nure or organic matter in some other form. Grasses grown with alfalfa -would help considerably to develop soil structure. Close growing grow-ing crops are better than cultivated row crops. Prevention is better than cure. To prevent compaction: Cultivation 1. Should be held to a bare minimum min-imum to control weeds. 2. Should be done when soil moisture mois-ture is as low as possible. Grazing 1. Should be done only when soil is dry enough that hoof marks don't show. Land Leveling 1. Should! be done only when soil is dry enough that wheels do not sink in tread marks may show but not too1 much. 2. If it can't be leveled when soil is dry, crawler tractors and light cai-ryalls should be used, and the land subsoiled later. |