Conservation tillage use

AMERICAN farmers are changing the ways they till the soil. In the past decade, a shift has occurred from almost complete reliance on the moldboard plow and turning the soil each year to conservation tillage practices that disturb the soil less and leave more residue on the soil surface. Several factors have encouraged farmers to adopt conservation tillage practices. Foremost among these factors have been economic pressures, particularly high fuel prices. More double cropping is occurring also, which requires the use of practices involving less field preparation for seeding the second crop. In addition, government programs have encouraged practices that reduce soil erosion and improve water quality. The only data available that depict changes in tillage practicces nationally are those published by No-till Farmer (5–9) . These data are compiled annually. They come mainly from conservation districts and from state offices of the Soil Conservation Service and are based heavily on observations and judgments about the changes occurring. Procedures no doubt vary from area to area and from year to year. Some definitions Conservation tillage includes both minimum tillage and no-till systems. No-Till Farmer defines these systems, in contrast to conventional tillage, as follows: …