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90 FR 5512, Jan. 17, 2025, unless otherwise noted.
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(a) Reduced till standards. To qualify as reduced till under this part, field(s) or management unit(s) must be managed according to the following standards:
(1) The T-DISC value of the tillage system must be no greater than 0.252. Tillage methods where the entire soil surface is disturbed by tillage operations such as chisel plowing, field cultivating, tandem disking, vertical tillage, or ridge tillage are permitted. The T-DISC value must include all field operations that are performed during the crop interval (that is, from the time immediately following harvest or termination of one cash crop through harvest or termination of the next cash crop in the rotation, including fallow periods). The T-DISC value must be determined using USDA's T-DISC calculator or utilizing USDA's T-DISC methodology and underlying parameters to produce results equivalent to those produced by USDA's T-DISC calculator. Permitted methods are also commonly referred to as mulch tillage, conservation tillage, or ridge till;
(2) Primary inversion tillage implements (for example, moldboard plow) must not be used;
(3) Residue must not be burned or harvested; and
(4) Removing residue from the crop planting row area prior to or as part of the cash crop or cover crop planting or seeding operation is allowed.
(b) No-till standards. To qualify as no-till under this part, field(s) or management unit(s) must be managed according to the following standards:
(1) The T-DISC value of the tillage system must be no greater than 0.075. Full-width soil disturbance must not be performed, from the time immediately following harvest or termination of one cash crop through harvest or termination of the next cash crop in the rotation, regardless of the depth of the tillage operation. Strip tillage and fertilizer injection are permitted. The T-DISC value must include all field operations that are performed during the crop interval (that is, from the time immediately following harvest or termination of one cash crop through harvest or termination of the next cash crop in the rotation, including fallow periods). The T-DISC value must be determined using USDA's T-DISC calculator or utilizing USDA's T-DISC methodology and underlying parameters to produce results equivalent to those produced by USDA's T-DISC calculator;
(2) Residue must not be burned or harvested; and
(3) Removing residue from the crop planting row area prior to or as part of the cash crop or cover crop planting or seeding operation is allowed.
(c) Tillage management recordkeeping standards. Records must contain sufficient detail to be readily understood and auditable. Records may be of varying types and origins including, but not limited to, physical documentation (for example, paper forms, invoices, receipts, seed tags), digital files (including from farm management software), data generated by farm equipment (for example, precision agriculture equipment), remotely sensed data, georeferenced and timestamped photographs, or data and records used for participation in USDA programs. The records under this paragraph (c) for the year in which the practice is implemented must be kept for 5 years and demonstrate:
(1) Field(s) or management unit(s) where the practice is implemented, including location and acreage;
(2) All field operations including tillage and all other operations (including fertilizing, planting, controlling pests, seeding, harvesting) that may cause surface disturbance;
(3) Type of field operation including depth and width of disturbance and average speed of operation;
(4) Equipment used;
(5) Date(s) that each operation occurred; and
(6) Total bushels of the harvested production crop harvested from field(s) or management unit(s) where the practice was implemented.
(d) Tillage management verification. When auditing the reduced till or no-till practice, third-party verifiers must review documentation demonstrating all field operations including the type of operation, equipment used, and timing of operation. Using these records, third-party verifiers must verify the correct calculation (or perform the calculation) of a crop interval T-DISC value and verify that the value meets the standards of the reduced till or no-till practice.
[90 FR 5512, Jan. 17, 2025, as amended at 91 FR 39358, June 29, 2026]