Land Judging for Farms and Homesites
Land Treatment

Part II

There are twenty-eight practices listed under three headings: (1) Vegetative, (2) Mechanical, and (3) Lime and Fertilizer Applications. You may have to use practices from any one or all of these three groups. Each practice is used under certain conditions and with certain Land Capability Classes. Understand that this is only a guide to help you in the proper selection of practices. Each contestant should learn to use good judgment and common sense with these practices. Study carefully the field being judged. Select with care and remember to choose practices that will enable you to make the most intensive use of the field according to its capability class.

(1) Vegetative Practices

Soil-conserving and soil-improvement crops prevent or retard erosion. They maintain rather than deplete soil organic matter, improve soil structure and tilth, and increase water intake and productivity of the soil. Grasses and legumes are two such crops. Recommended vegetative practices are :

  1. Continuous cropping - use only on Class I land.
  2. Crop rotation: one year of hay every third year - use on Class II land.
  3. Crop rotation: two years of hay in every four years - use on Class III land.
  4. Long term grass rotation with three or more years of hay between crops - use on Class IV land.
  5. Permanent pasture - Class V & VI land.
  6. Permanent woodland - Class VII.
  7. Wildlife or recreation area - Class VIII.
  8. Do not burn crop residue - Class I through IV.
  9. Crop production management and may include: residue management, cover crops, grassed water ways. Classes I through IV.
  10. Pasture management - may include reseeding, fertilizer and lime applications, clipping or mowing, pasture renovation. Class V and VI land.
  11. Protect from burning - grass, brush or timber. Class V, VI, VII and VIII.
  12. Controlled grazing and may include deferred grazing, rotational grazing, and proper stocking - Class V & VI land.
  13. Plant recommended trees including windbreaks or woodland planting. Class VII and VIII. When used on Class VII, check number 14.
  14. Harvest trees selectively - Class VII only.
  15. Protect from grazing - Classes VII and VIII.
  16. Conservation plantings - shrubs and vines for erosion control, wildlife cover - Classes VII and VIII.

(2) Mechanical Practices

These practices are needed to correct problems with the land so that it may be used according to its most intensive use. Controlling undesirable plant species is often necessary to improve growth of desirable plants. Certain mechanical and conservation practices reduce the potential for erosion, while others correct erosion or drainage problems.

  1. Control brush and trees - the use of herbicides or cutting to remove undesirable brush or trees. Should not be marked if brush can be removed by normal plowing or clipping with a cutter bar (stem diameter 1 inch or less). Class I through VI.
  2. Farm on contour - plowing the whole field on the contour or at right angles to the slope. Use only on fields 2 acres or smaller having a slope of 3% or greater.
  3. Contour strip cropping - alternating sod strips with row crops grown on the contour reduces wind and water erosion. Use only on fields greater than 2 acres having a slope of 3% or greater.
  4. Build diversion ditch - a shallow channel built on a gently grade, across a slope, to intercept water from the slope above and carry it to a safe outlet. Mark only when "overhead water problem" is indicated on field sign. Build a diversion ditch should be marked only on Class II to VI land.
  5. Install drainage system - to remove excess surface or subsurface water. Use only on imperfectly or poorly-drained soils. Classes III and IV.
  6. Control gullies - one or more conservation practices that will adequately control runoff and erosion. Gullies are defined as 8 inches across and 6 inches deep, and actively eroding.
  7. No mechanical treatment needed. This box must be marked when no mechanical practices are necessary.

(3) Lime and Fertilizer Application

Lime and fertilizer application are essential for crop and forage production. No set of lime and fertilizer recommendations is suitable for all areas. This section attempts to familiarize contestants with soil fertility requirements. This information is given on the field sign.

  1. Lime - used to adjust the pH of the soil. Lime is needed on soils with pH 6.4 and below. Lime is not needed on soils with pH 6.5 or higher. (pH is an indicator of the acidity of the soil)
  2. Nitrogen (N) - application of nitrogen is dependent on the type of soil and crop being grown. For example, a nitrogen value for production of corn or small grains may be much higher than that required for clovers or alfalfa. The nitrogen availability in a particular soil is also related to the organic matter content of the soil. Because of these variables, the nitrogen level in each field will be given as sufficient or deficient. If nitrogen is given as deficient on the field sign, no. 25 on the scorecard is marked.
  3. Phosphorus (P) - low levels of phosphorus in West Virginia soils are 25 lbs/acre or less. However, soils with phosphorus levels up to 50 lbs/acre do require additions of phosphate (P2O5) for maximum production. When any value less than 50 lbs/acre is given, check no. 26 on the scorecard.
  4. Potassium (K) - West Virginia soils with potassium levels of 60 lbs/acre or less are deficient. However, soils with potassium levels up to 120 lbs/acre do require additions of potash (K20) for maximum production. When any value less than 120 lbs/acre is given, check no. 27 on the scorecard.
  5. No lime or fertilizer needed.

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