No-Till Farmer did a fine job compiling data related to tillage and conservation in their August Conservation Tillage Guide. They report that nearly 35% of cropland acreage is no-till. It is gratifying to see the progress in changing tillage practice. When I was a young soil scientist in Madison County, we were still trying to find encouraging news about chisel plowing. In Illinois only 25% of acreage is no-tilled. We used to rank higher. The soil savings with no-till is just the start of the benefits. Preserving organic matter, conserving fertility, and controlling traffic paterns are other important benefits.
Tools to make no-till easier to implement continue to improve. No-till rippers, vertical tillage tools and cover crops all help to improve soil tilth. Around 1996 I worked as an acting District Conservationist for NRCS after several years away from working directly with farmers. Round-up Ready soybeans seemed like a miracle for weed control especially in no-till. Unfortunately, that miracle turned problematic all too soon.
As we toured the Texas Panhandle a few weeks ago, my son and I were asking why we are not seeing more no-tilled cotton. Texas has only 8.8% of its acres in no-till. Only 20% of cotton acres are no-tilled. The stats prove out our observation. There is still room for growth in no-till acres.
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