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RUSLE2 Users Guide South Dakota

September 2004

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RUSLE2 Users GuideSouth Dakota

SectionPage

1. Getting Started 4

2. Creating a (your county) default profile 8

3. RUSLE2 Erosion estimate – Profile screen 9

4. Creating customized Multi-year rotation from single 16 year/single crop templates using the Profile screen

5. Modifying existing multi-year rotations from the Profile 21 screen using the Rotation builder

6. Modifying existing Management records (single year 26 or multi-year) from the Management screen

Appendix 1 30

September, 2004

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The RUSLE2 program is opened by clicking the icon on your computer desktop

1. Getting Started

This is a picture of a blank RUSLE2 startup screen. It needs to be configured for South Dakota Field office use.

This box identifies the current User template. NRCS simple SCI is the most commonly used template.

This box identifies the current RUSLE2 database being used. The correct database for SD should be SDmosesMM_DD_YY

This box identifies the current user access level of the program. It determines edit privileges of various records. R2_NRCS_Fld_Office is the correct setting for F.O. use and can not be changed.

The User template is changed through the Options menu on the RUSLE2 Menu toolbar. Choose Template\Load\NRCS simple SCI rev…xml

RUSLE2 menu bar

RUSLE2 icon bar

RUSLE2 configuration

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From the Option menu select Template\Edit current

From Startup

Check this box

And select None

Press OK

Click to save your new User template settings as the default when RUSLE2 starts up.

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Use the up button to migrate to the My Computer directory.

select Open alternate from the Database menuTo change the RUSLE2 database

Move through directories:

\shared on 'Sd.(Co name.)c001‘

\ServiceCenter

\NRCS

\RUSLE2data

and open SDmoseseMM_DD_YY.gdb

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The Users template is now properly configured for South Dakota Field Office use, and the correct RUSLE2 database is set as the default.

From the Database menu set SDmoses… as the default by clicking Startup database. Check mark assures

default setting

The next time RUSLE2 is started it will open with these settings.

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2. Creating a (your co.) default profile

Click the Profile icon and select default from the list

Set your county as Location and the first soil component in your county as Soil

Click the Save as icon and save the profile record as (your co.) default. The next time you open the Profile list it will be there.

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The profile screen lists the 5 steps for completing an erosion estimate on a single soil and slope.

Step 1 is to choose the location to set the climate. Open the dropdown choice list, navigate to the correct county, and select it.

Select the default profile or one saved from earlier work

Click the profile icon to open the profile work screen

3. RUSLE2 Erosion Estimate – Profile Screen

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Step 2 is to choose the soil that is being planned for. Click the dropdown list and migrate through the soils directory to the correct soil component.

Step 3 is to set the slope topography by overriding the default values and manually entering the slope’s length and average steepness.

Step 4 is to select the base management (cropping system) that will be employed. From the choice list select the Crop Management Zone (CMZ) that the field occurs in.

South Dakota has 4 CMZs that represent regions with similar crops and cropping systems and similar planting and harvest dates. (See Appendix 1)

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Each CMZ has three subdirectories.

1. This directory has pre-built management templates for a number of single year crops and tillage systems.

2. This directory has pre-built templates for complete multi-year rotations.

3. This directory has Management templates that were developed by the local Field Office and saved for future use

Select a Multi-year rotation from your CMZ 04.

Click yellow folder to “drill down” into the management record. This screen contains the cropping system information. Close window to return to profile screen.

Farming operations and dates, crops, and yields are contained in the Management record.

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Click yellow folder to manually adjust yields (from 112 & 20 to 150 & 40)

Step 5 sets the supporting practices if there are any.

Select the slope grade of the contour from the drop down choice list.

Strips or barriers are selected from the choice list

or

Diversions or terraces are selected from the choice list

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Review resultsOpen Surf. res. cov. Values and Soil conditioning index

To produce a report of this estimate, from the File menu select “Print to MS Word template”

And then select the SD-CPA-29.pro.dot

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The SD-CPA-29 is the official record of the soil loss estimate. It may be printed for a paper record and/or saved to the customers Tool Kit file.

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The RUSLE2 profile can be saved for future reference and use. (However, it is not required to do so, as the word report (SD-CPA29) is the official record.)

Select “Save As” from the File menu

Or

Click the Save As Icon.

Give the profile a new name and click save.

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4. Creating customized Multi-year rotations from single year templates from the profile screen.

In STEP 4a: of the profile screen select default as the Base management

In STEP 4b: select the desired record from the Single Year/Single Crop templates for your CMZ for the first year of the rotation.

Add lines 2 and 3 to the Management sequence by clicking the +.

Select the desired crop records from the Single Year/ Single Crop templates.

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Apply the changes in the Management by clicking the Apply button.

A new name should be given to this management record. It will show up as a temp file in the SD-CPA-29

Note change in name of base management. This is a temporary file.

To finish the erosion estimate for this profile using the new temporary multi-year rotation management the default yields need to be changed to the actual expected yields.

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The erosion estimate has been completed for the profile.

The soil loss estimate may be documented to the SD-CPA-29

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Click to save the temporary management as a permanent management for future use.

Use the up folder button to migrate from the managements\temp folder to your CMZ\c. Other Local Managements Records folder

Correct the name if necessary, and click Save. Note: Other Local Managements Records is the only Managements folder that you have permissions to save to or edit in.

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5. Modifying Existing Multi-year rotations from the profile screen using the Management Rotation Builder

To add an additional year of crop to an existing rotation click the yellow folder for the management to be changed.

Open the Rotation builder folder for this management

Click + to replicate line 2 and add an additional year to the rotation

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Select the new Single Year/Single Crop Template from the choice list

Make sure no years are missing in Starting and Ending Dates. Select Apply/Close

Dates, Operations, Vegetation, and Yield for the new crop year have been added to the multi-year rotation template.

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From the Window menu select the Profile screen to review changes to erosion loss

Crop yields need to be adjusted

The soil loss estimate for the new rotation on this profile is 4.2 t/ac/yr

To save the new management as a permanent record, re-open the Management window

Click the Save As icon

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The profile record may now be generated as an SD-CPA-29. From the File menu select Print to MS… and open the SD-CPA-29

Add additional crop to management name.Use the Up key to move to your CMZ \c. Other Local Management Records.

Make sure Name is correct and click Save

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Note: It was not necessary to save the new management as a permanent to generate this report. The only difference would have been in the Management name, which would have been missing the spring wheat. All other info. for the wheat would have been in this report.

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6. Modifying Existing Managements records from the Management screen

Click the yellow Base management folder to open the Management record.

Operations may be changed from the choice list.

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Operation dates may be changed, as well as vegetations

Additional operations may be added

1. Select row by placing cursor on gray square. When it turns black click to highlight. Then click + to copy row.

2. Change operation to the one being added, and change operation date.

For an operation that applies external residue (such as manure), the residue type must be specified.

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The new management may be renamed and saved in Other Local Management Records

Note: The amount of external residue added is entered in the profile screen.

Note: It is very important that operation dates do not conflict. For example, because rotations repeat, the calendar date of the last operation must occur before the calendar date of the first. If not, RUSLE2 will add an additional year and calculate it as fallow. See Appendix A for tillage, planting, and harvest dates to use in South Dakota.

When using a management that includes application of external residue (such as manure) in a RUSLE2 erosion estimate, the amount of additional residue must be added. Click yellow Residue inputs folder to open the Residue inputs screen.

Soil loss estimate before entering manure weight.

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For guidance on manure application rates, click yellow folder to drill down into residue record. Open the Info tab.

Soil loss estimate after entering manure weight

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South Dakota RUSLE2 Operation dates

Appendix 1