Water has caused crop residue to accumulate in some areas creating a thick mat. In our no-till fields. 

Farmers have always cared for the land. They understand, more than anyone, the vital importance of the health of their soil, and the role it plays in producing an abundant harvest and a better planet for all of us. Farmers take their role in maintaining soil health very seriously. Over the past few decades, soil health has been and continues to be transformed.

Agriculture has gone through quite a revolution over the past two centuries, with the introduction of tractors, chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in the last century. But since the dawn of agriculture thousands of years ago, one thing remained a very common practice right up to now - plowing the soil. In fact, a quick drive through Orange County will help you quickly see that this practice remains common.

Today, agriculture is a major contributor to challenges facing our environment: land degradation, aquifer depletion, nitrogen runoff and greenhouse gas emissions, to name a few.

Pointing to a wriggling earthworm, a sign of good soil health, Gail Fuller explained that conventional, tilled fields would be too cold for earthworms to be that close to the surface.

Late harvest and the rush to get grains out of the fields may present an opportunity to rethink the need for tilling fields this fall or not.

Introducing a new production system to your existing practice (for example, adding no-till to conventional horizontal tillage to protect erodible land or please a landlord) probably will require acquiring new implements or attachments.

Crop insurance works too well for farmers who farm without regard for long-term soil health, and not well enough for the few who do. A new task force wants to change that.

Results from a nearly 30-year ongoing study show that no-till agriculture produces improved crop yields over the long-term. 

Less Soil Erosion: In no till farming, the soil is more resistant to erosion caused by wind and water. This is especially true when an abundance of mulch cover (stalks, straw, leaves, pods, chaff) is maintained on the soil surface.

Switching part of your acres to no-till is as simple as just parking the tillage tractor, right? Maybe not. Here are a few considerations before trying no-till for the first time.

Farming practices get entrenched in an operation, as farmers simply build on what was done by their fathers, grandfathers and beyond. Changing those practices and ways of thinking can be a big first step to a new beginning.

Farmers using no-till production can reduce herbicide use and still maintain crop yields by implementing integrated weed-management methods, according to a new study by Penn State researchers.

How does strip tillage impact a corn plant’s ability to access and take up nutrients?

While most people associate plowing with the initial stage of field activities, no-till agriculture proves that farmers can perfectly do without that.

No-till improves soil health, yields and economic stability for farmers in Uganda, Algeria, Lesotho and Zambia.

Most wine producers believe that tilling is necessary to aerate the ground, but taking a hands-off approach can improve soil health, strengthen root systems and fight climate change. Kathleen Willcox considers why and how no-tilling benefits the environment and the vineyard.

It is no secret that ours is a country that encompasses the full development spectrum: from some of the most sophisticated financial systems in the world to traditional bartering practices in deep rural areas; from consumers that only buy food that is certified organic to households that can barely afford the basics.