No-till farming
No-till farming is an agricultural technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage. No-till farming decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certain soils, especially in sandy and dry soils on sloping terrain. Other possible benefits include an increase in the amount of water that infiltrates the soil, soil retention of organic matter, and nutrient cycling. These methods may increase the amount and variety of life in and on the soil. While conventional no-tillage systems use herbicides to control weeds, organic systems use a combination of strategies, such as planting cover crops as mulch to suppress weeds.
There are three basic methods of no-till farming. "Sod seeding" is when crops are sown with seeding machinery into a sod produced by applying herbicides on a cover crop. "Direct seeding" is when crops are sown through the residue of previous crop. "Surface seeding" or "direct seeding" is when seeds are left on the surface of the soil; on flatlands, this requires no machinery and minimal labor.
While no-till is agronomically advantageous and results in higher yields, farmers wishing to adopt the system face a number of challenges. Established farms may have to face a learning curve, buy new equipment, and deal with new field conditions. Perhaps the biggest impediment, especially for grains, is that farmers can no longer rely on the mechanical pest and weed control that occurs when crop residue is buried to significant depths. No-till farmers must rely on chemicals, biological pest control, cover cropping, and more intensive management of fields.
Tillage is dominant in agriculture today, but no-till methods may have success in some contexts. In some cases minimum tillage or "low-till" methods combine till and no-till methods. For example, some approaches may use shallow cultivation but no plowing or may use strip tillage.
Background
is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation, typically removing weeds established in the previous season. Tilling can create a flat seed bed or one that has formed areas, such as rows or raised beds, to enhance the growth of desired plants. It is an ancient technique with clear evidence of its use since at least 3000 B.C.No-till farming is not equivalent to conservation tillage or strip tillage. Conservation tillage is a group of practices that reduce the amount of tillage needed. No-till and strip tillage are both forms of conservation tillage. No-till is the practice of never tilling a field. Tilling every other year is called rotational tillage.
The effects of tillage can include soil compaction; loss of organic matter; degradation of soil aggregates; death or disruption of soil microbes and other organisms including mycorrhizae, arthropods, and earthworms; and soil erosion where topsoil is washed or blown away.
Origin
The practice of no-till farming is a combination of different ideas developed over time, many techniques and principles used in no-till farming are a continuation of traditional market gardening found in various regions like France. A formalized opposition to plowing started in the 1940s with Edward H. Faulkner, author of Plowman's Folly. In that book, however, Faulkner only criticizes the deeper moldboard plow and its action, not surface tillage. It was not until the development after WWII of powerful herbicides such as paraquat that various researchers and farmers started to try out the idea. The first adopters of no-till include Klingman, Edward Faulkner, L. A. Porter, Harry and Lawrence Young, and the Instituto de Pesquisas Agropecuarias Meridional with Herbert Bartz.Adoption across the world
Land under no-till farming has increased across the world. In 1999, about was under no-till farming worldwide, which increased to in 2003 and to in 2009.Australia
Per figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Agricultural Resource Management Survey, in Australia the percentage of agricultural land under No-till farming methods was 26% in 2000–01, which more than doubled to 57% in 2007–08. As at 30 June 2017, of the of crop land cultivated 79% received no cultivation. Similarly, 70% of the 3 million hectares of pasture land cultivated received no cultivation, apart from sowing.South America
South America had the highest adoption of no-till farming in the world, which in 2014 constituted 47% of the total global area under no-till farming.The countries with highest adoption are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
In Argentina the usage of no-till resulted in reduction of soil erosion losses by 80%, cost reductions by more than 50% and increased farm incomes.
In Brazil the usage of no-till resulted in reduction of soil erosion losses by 97%, higher farm productivity and income increase by 57% five years after the starting of no-till farming.
In Paraguay, net farm incomes increased by 77% after adoption of no-till farming.
United States
No-till farming is a soil conservation practice used in the United States, with adoption increasing due to its potential to reduce costs and improve soil health. By minimizing soil disturbance, no-till farming reduces the number of passes required with machinery, leading to lower fuel and labor expenses. Additionally, the retention of crop residue helps reduce evaporation, enhances water infiltration, and improves moisture retention in the soil.According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, approximately 21% of cultivated cropland in the United States was managed under no-till farming practices. By 2023 this percentage had increased to roughly 30%, reflecting a continued shift toward conservation tillage methods.
In public policy
A legislative bill, H.R.2508 of the 117th Congress, also known as the NO EMITS act, has been proposed to amend the Food Security Act of 1985, that was introduced by Representative Rodney Davis of Illinois in 2021. Davis is a member of the House Committee on Agriculture. This bill proposes suggestions for offsetting emissions that are focused in agricultural means, doing so by implementing new strategies such as minimal tillage or no tillage. H.R.2508 is currently under reference by the House Committee of Agriculture. H.R.2508 is also backed by two other representatives from high agricultural states, Rep. Eric A. Crawford of Arkansas and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska. H.R.2508 is proposing to set up incentive programs to provide financial and mechanical assistance to farmers and agriculture plots that transition their production processes, as well as providing contacts to lower risk for producers. Funding has also been proposed for Conservation Innovation Trails.Farmers within the U.S. are encouraged through subsidies and other programs provided by the government to meet a defined level of tillage conservation. Such subsidies and programs provided by the U.S. government include: Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program. The EQIP is a voluntary program that attempts to assists farmers and other participants help through conservation and not financially suffer from doing so. Efforts are put out to help reduce the amount of contamination from the agricultural industry as well as increasing the health of the soil. The CSP attempts to assist those looking to implement conservation efforts into their practices by suggesting what might be done for their circumstances and needs.
England
As of 2020, an estimated 7% of English arable land was being cultivated using no-till farming. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs offers incentives to farmers to convert to no-till farming, such as a payment of £73 per hectare of land eligible for this scheme.Benefits and issues
Profit, economics, yield
Some studies have found that no-till farming can be more profitable in some cases.In some cases it may reduce labour, fuel, irrigation and machinery costs. No-till can increase yield because of higher water infiltration and storage capacity, and less erosion. Another possible benefit is that because of the higher water content, instead of leaving a field fallow it can make economic sense to plant another crop instead.
A problem with no-till farming is that the soil warms and dries more slowly in spring, which may delay planting. Harvest can thus occur later than in a conventionally tilled field. The slower warming is due to crop residue being a lighter color than the soil exposed in conventional tillage, which absorbs less solar energy. But in the meantime, this can be managed by using row cleaners on a planter.
Another problem with no-till farming is that if production is impacted negatively by the implemented process, the practice's profitability may decrease with increasing fuel prices and high labor costs. As the prices for fuel and labor continue to rise, it may be more practical for farms and farming productions to turn toward a no-till operation. In spring, poor draining clay soil may have lower production due to a cold and wet year.
The economic and ecological benefits of implementing no-till practices can require sixteen to nineteen years. The first decade of no-till implementation often will show trends of revenue decrease. Implementation periods over ten years usually show a profit gain rather than a decrease in profitability.