Cropping Systems Inventory (USDA-NRCS)

By Anthony Bly

The USDA-NRCS recently released “Cropping Systems in South Dakota – A 2013 Inventory and Review”. This publication summarizes county and state level tillage and cropping systems used in South Dakota. Comparatively, the most recent inventory was taken in 2004, hence the importance of these observations in assessing land use in regards to conservation practices that protect our vitally important soil resource.

Soil health and quality are greatly improved with less tillage, especially no-till. If you noticed black snow this winter or soil blowing this spring, you may be in a county where no-till use has decreased. The Cropping Systems Inventory showed that across the state the use of no-till has increased resulting in reductions in reduced and mulch tillage, while conventional tillage remained unchanged. While this is very positive information, the distribution of conventional tillage changed from 2004.