The Courier Electronic Edition

'No-till' technology provides many benefits to farmers


More and more farmers are planting their crops using "no-till" technology. Till, tilling and tillage are simply farmland words for disturbing the soil. No-till farming is also referred to as conservation tillage. Conservation tillage used to be thought of as any tillage system that was not conventional.

The first farmers to experiment with no-till and other reduced tillage systems faced problems ranging from planters that would not penetrate the ground to ineffective herbicides.

As machinery manufacturers and chemical companies responded with better products, the benefits of less tillage became obvious to more and more farmers.

While a few continue to view conservation tillage as something the government has "forced" on them through various programs, most see the potential advantages and keep adjusting their systems to maximize both short- and long-term profits.

Because of fewer trips across the field, tremendous savings is realized in fuel, and in fewer purchases of tillage equipment.

While most definitions of conservation tillage relate to the management of soil erosion by leaving crop residue on the surface, many farmers in the United States and around the world focus on other benefits.

These include water conservation in dry years, improved drainage and fertility, lower input costs, and labor efficiency.

By focusing on the benefits, farmers have refined their practices to include such things as fall strip till (to prepare for springtime planting), subsoiling (to help drainage), and in a few rare cases, even moldboard (deep, old-fashioned-like) plowing every five to 10 years.

Different crop rotations, sometimes including forage and livestock production, may allow, or even require, some tillage for good yields, yet meet the goals of soil and water retention.

While the agricultural community appreciates soil conservation for maintaining the long-term productivity of the land, our urban neighbors are more likely to focus on the benefits of clear streams, pure drinking water, and abundant wildlife habitat.

The common goal is to keep our soil on farms, where it belongs, by reducing erosion.

Some may think conservation tillage is easier, but just the opposite is true. To be successful, more management is actually needed for no-till to work.

New technology and methods are developed every year. To indicate the interest in conservation tillage, every year we organize a two-day "Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference" at Ohio Northern University in Ada. In February, nearly 800 farmers and ag industry personnel from four states attended.

Our soil and water conservation districts also monitor the amount of conservation tillage being done. Many programs administrated by soil and water conservation districts, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide various incentives to farmers to practice conservation.

Conservation tillage holds the key to sustainability of global agriculture during the next 50 to 100 years.

Carbon storage, halting the degradation of soils, and saving areas for trees, grass, wetlands and wildlife all can be accomplished with an increased shift to conservation tillage here and around the world.

What are many farmers doing this week? Rainy-day jobs they would rather not be doing as a result of weather delaying time in the fields.

Wilson is county director/extension educator, agriculture and natural resources for The Ohio State University Extension service in Findlay. He can be reached at 419-422-3851 or via e-mail at wilson.26@cfaes.osu.edu.