Soil Survey of McHenry County, Illinois Part I - Soil Data Mart

Agronomy
General management needed for crops and for hay
and pasture is suggested in this section. The system
of land capability classification used by the Natural
Resources Conservation Service is explained, the
estimated yields of the main crops and hay and
pasture plants are listed for each soil, important
farmland is described, and hydric soils are listed.
Planners of management systems for individual
fields or farms should consider obtaining specific
information from the local office of the Natural
Resources Conservation Service or the Cooperative
Extension Service.
In 1992, McHenry County had about 239,634 acres
of cropland (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1992).
The major row crops are corn and soybeans. Wheat
and oats are the major small grain crops grown.
Vegetables, sod, and nursery crops are also grown.
Alfalfa is the major forage crop.
The soils in McHenry County have good potential
for continued crop production, especially if the latest
crop production technology is applied. This soil survey
can be used as a guide for applying the latest crop
production technologies.
The demand for food and fiber has increased in
recent years (fig. 3). As a result, some land of
marginal quality has been used for crops. Much of this
land is more susceptible to erosion than the more
productive land. Also, the number of residential tracts
has increased throughout the county. These tracts
commonly are in areas of prime farmland. If these
trends continue, they could result in a significant
decline in the quality and quantity of the land used for
food and fiber.
The major management concerns affecting
cropland in the county are water erosion, excessive
permeability, wetness, ponding, surface crusting, poor
tilth, restricted permeability, and droughtiness.
Soil erosion is a potential problem on approximately
49 percent of the cropland. Erosion can be a problem
on soils that have slopes of more than 2 percent, such
as Danabrook, Kidami, Kidder, and Ringwood soils.
Loss of the surface layer is damaging for several
reasons. Soil productivity is reduced as the surface
soil is removed and part of the subsoil is incorporated
into the plow layer. The subsoil is generally lower in
171
plant nutrients, lower in organic matter, and higher in
clay content compared to the surface soil. As the
content of organic matter in the plow layer decreases
and the content of clay content increases, soil tilth
deteriorates, resulting in soil crusting and a reduced
rate of water infiltration. Soil erosion results in the
sedimentation of streams, rivers, road ditches, and
lakes. Pollution by sediments reduces the quality of
water for agricultural, municipal, and recreational uses
and for fish and wildlife. Removing the sediment
generally is expensive. Erosion control helps to
minimize this pollution and improves water quality.
Erosion-control measures include both cultural and
structural practices. The most widely used practice in
the county is conservation tillage, such as mulch
tillage and zero tillage. These systems can leave 30 to
90 percent of the surface covered with crop residue.
Another cultural practice is the use of a crop rotation
that includes 1 or more years of close-growing
grasses or legumes. In areas where slopes are long
and uniform, terraces and contour farming are also
effective in controlling erosion.
Structural practices are needed in drainageways
where concentrated runoff flows overland. Soil erosion
can be controlled by establishing grassed waterways
or building erosion-control structures.
Further information about erosion-control measures
suitable for each kind of soil is provided in the Field
Office Technical Guide, which is available in local
offices of the Natural Resources Conservation
Service.
In areas of soils that have excessive permeability,
such as Fox and Warsaw soils, the contamination of
ground water is a potential risk. These soils contain
sandy and gravelly deposits within a depth of 40
inches and are very rapidly permeable in the lower
part of the profile.
Several measures can help to limit the amount of
deep leaching of nutrients and pesticides that occurs.
Applications of fertilizer should be based on the results
of soil tests. The local office of the Cooperative
Extension Service can help in determining the kinds
and proper amounts of nutrients needed. Chemicals
should be selected based on their solubility in water,
their ability to bind with the soil, and the rate of their