785.266.9053
📞 Call: (785) 266-9053 ext. 3                                                     Visit: 3231 SW VanBuren Street Ste: 2 Topeka, Kansas 66611                                        📧 Email: [email protected]
Common Cropland Conservation Practices
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Crop Management & Planting Best Practices
Successful conservation systems rely on good agronomic management.
Crop Selection & Rotation
  • Use herbicide‑resistant varieties when appropriate
  • Match plant populations to variety specifications
  • Wheat is an effective entry crop for no‑till
  • Rotate crops to disrupt pest cycles
  • Residue & Weed Management
  • Evenly distribute crop residue
  • Avoid residue removal—residue has significant nutrient value
  • Rotate herbicide modes of action
  • Scout fields regularly and maintain records
Equipment & Planting Tips
  • Maintain proper seeding depth and seed‑to‑soil contact
  • Avoid planting speeds faster than 4.5 mph
  • Corn planting depth: 1.5 inches
  • Use residue managers without tilling soil
Fertilization
  • Soil test regularly
  • Band nutrients when possible
  • Consider split nitrogen applications
  • Apply manure evenly for nutrient and organic matter benefits
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Cover Crops
Cover crops improve soil health when used with no‑till and diverse rotations.
  • New landowners/operators may receive assistance for up to three consecutive years
  • Not eligible for hay or silage intended for resale or consumption
  • Contour Buffer Strips
  • Filter Strips
  • Critical Area Planting
  • Nutrient Management
  • Sediment Basins (livestock waste systems only)
  • Underground Outlets / Diversions

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​ Grassed Waterways
Grassed waterways safely convey runoff to stable outlets without erosion.
Cost Share Includes
  • ​Shaping and grading
  • Topsoiling and vegetation establishment
  • Subsurface drainage when required
  • Restoration Eligibility
  • 20+ years old
  • Reduced capacity with frequent runoff
  • Evidence of erosion
  • Stable outlet available​
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Land treatment practices on cropland reduce soil erosion, improve soil structure, protect water quality, and retain moisture. Below are examples of commonly funded practices.
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No‑till and strip‑till systems manage crop residue year‑round while limiting soil disturbance to what is necessary for planting and nutrient placement.
Benefits include:
  • Reduced sheet, rill, and wind erosion
  • Improved soil organic matter
  • Increased available soil moisture
  • Reduced sediment delivery to waterways
  • Key Requirements
  • Crop residue may not be burned
  • Residue must be uniformly distributed
  • No full‑width tillage is allowed
  • Soil Tillage Intensity Rating (STIR):
  • No‑till: ≤ 10
  • Strip‑till: ≤ 15
  • Direct seed: ≤ 30
No-tilled Winter Pea and Oats.
Later mowed for hay and soybeans no-tilled into stubble. 
Decomposition of roots adds to organic matter which later releases nitrogen
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​Terraces & Restoration
Terraces reduce slope length, slow runoff, control erosion, and improve water quality.
Eligible Terrace Types
  • Broad Base (Storage or Non‑Storage)
  • Storage – Grass Back, Level, or Flat Channel
  • Storage – Narrow Base
  • Terrace Restoration Requirements
  • Must be 20 years or older
  • Less than 50% remaining capacity
  • Adequate stable outlets required
  • General maintenance is not eligible
  • Elimination or conversion to underground tile is not eligible
📞 Call: (785) 266-9053 ext. 3                                                     Visit: 3231 SW VanBuren Street Ste: 2 Topeka, Kansas 66611                                        📧 Email: [email protected]