Problems with conservation tillage

THE history of modern western agriculture is marked by a series of technologies often termed “revolutionary.” The most recent agricultural revolution involves the practice of conservation tillage, or, in its extreme form, no-tillage. The practice is characterized by little or no disturbance of the soil surface, use of crop residue as mulch, and greater use of herbicides to control weeds. According to one industry marketing official ( 46 ), the only unexpected aspect of the conservation tillage movement is “the intensity of interest and the speed with which conservation tillage is being adopted.” Or, more pointedly, “…change is no longer a matter of evolution: It is a revolution.” Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and a virtual universe of others operating in an agricultural economy increasingly dominated by the production of cash grains hope to cut production costs and conserve soil with widescale adoption of conservation tillage. Different definitions may be responsible for much of the variation in projections of the future use of conservation tillage. A 1982 survey by No-Till Farmer magazine showed that use of no-till had doubled in the previous 10 years. The practice in 1982 was …