By DOUG SCHMITZ

Iowa Correspondent

IOWA CITY, Iowa — While heavy and intense spring rainstorms falling on already wet soils did a number on many row crop fields across the Midwest this year, they also provided great opportunity for farmers to examine erosion concerns to improve soil conservation, according to a soil expert.

“Even fields with structural conservation practices (i.e. terraces, grassed waterways, water, and sediment control basins) or conservation management practices (i.e., minimum tillage, cover crops) experienced soil erosion this spring,” said Kristina TeBockhorst, Iowa State University agricultural engineering field specialist in Iowa City.

“These weather conditions were challenging, but also provided a great opportunity for farmers to examine erosion concerns to improve soil conservation. Farmers should inspect their structural conservation practices and perform any required maintenance to keep them functioning, as soon as it is practical.”

She said farmers should remove any sediment that has built up (silt) within the waterway channel to maintain full water conveyance capacity. “If needed, reshape the waterway channel to remove rills or gullies and seed bare spots back down with a waterway grass mix. Along waterway edges, look for sediment buildup and gully formation.

“Level off the edges to allow water to enter the grassed waterway rather than running downslope alongside of the waterway,” she added. “Farming direction should be perpendicular to the waterway to prevent gully formation along its edges.”

Moreover, TeBockhorst advises regular mowing and vegetation removal should be done to keep excessive grass growth from impeding water flow.

“During wet periods, keep off grazing livestock and heavy equipment to prevent compaction and tire tracks,” she said. “Farmers should pay special attention to waterways outlets, as gully erosion can often start there and cut its way up slope into the field.”

She said terrace or basin embankments with severe overtopping should also be repaired to prevent further erosion. “Reshape the ridge by adding soil to any low areas and reestablish any grass cover that has been lost. Control trees on the embankment and avoid removing sediment from the ridge with tillage operations.”

Moreover, excessive sediment buildup should be removed from behind embankments to maintain full water storage capacity and ensure that inlets remain at the lowest elevation. “Sediment, debris, and crop residues should be cleaned off from the stand drainage pipe,” she said.

“Stand pipes should be inspected for damage and replaced when broken or bent. Flag or paint stand pipes to prevent machinery damage and use temporary fencing to prevent further damage from livestock.”

In addition, standing water for more than two days after a normal rainfall event may indicate a drain blockage that needs cleared or repaired.

“Broken, crushed, or punctured tile segments should be replaced and wide joints should be covered to keep sediment from washing in,” she said. “Inspection of unprotected tile outlets is also important, as gullies often form here. If surface and subsurface water outlet is in a common area, farmers should consider installing a drop structure to protect the outlet from erosion.”

Iowa NRCS State Conservationist Kurt Simon said sediment alone could simply be a maintenance issue that is not eligible for cost share. However, he noted the USDA could provide farmers technical assistance to help ensure the conservation practice is restored (by the farmer) to its original design.

“We could also provide planning assistance and perhaps financial assistance to improve the soil health and reduce erosion in the watershed and upstream from these practices,” he said. “These could have a really positive impact the next planting season. For example, terraces and waterways in fields with no-till and cover crops fared much better this year, than fields without.”

If there was structural damage to the practices, like holes in terraces or waterways washed out, he said the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) might help if there is no maintenance agreement on the practice.

“Or, the Environmental Quality Incentives Assistance program could help if the damaged practice was built using EQIP funds. However, it’s important to note fixing damaged practices without addressing soil health may be a short-term fix until the next big rain.”

For EQIP, eligibility is contingent on the contract status.

“If the damage occurs during an active contract and is not due to a lack of maintenance, then repairs can be added to the existing contract,” Simon said. “Also, if damages occur after the life expectancy of the practice, a new EQIP application can be submitted to repair/rebuild the damaged practice and restore the resource protections.”

If damages occur after the contract is complete but within the life expectancy of the practice, EQIP financial assistance is generally limited, but ECP and Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) are sometimes available.

“For ECP, eligibility is contingent on federal declaration of a disaster event and recognition that the conservation practice damage was connected to the disaster event,” he explained. “ECP provisions compensate for restoration to pre-event condition, but not necessarily original design conditions.

“For CTA, technical assistance is generally available for all damaged conservation practices. CTA does not provide financial assistance, but does provide the technical support to incorporate new planning considerations and options to improve resiliency in the future.”