Ten Considerations For No-Till Planting
No-Til planting became a respond equally on all soils. Nor studied your hours in the saddle
conversation piece, a subject for does conventional tillage, for that lately, try It. The cost may be
argument and an object of matter. Some studies have in- startling,
curiosity when it was introduced dicated that No-Til is better Second, No-Til reduces the
in 1968. . . adapted to fine textured soils time machinery is in use in a
Today, No-Til planting has
emerged into a popular farming
technique. More than seven
million acres in the United States
alone are planted with this labor
saving, ecology-helping
technique. Rather than discuss
its oddity - as farmers did in the
late 1960 s - - today’s farmer
discusses how to best use No-Til
planting to maximum advantage.
This is recognition that a
revolutionarey technique has
come of age.
The decision to utilize No-Til
planting is usually based on
strong personal preferences, with
little or no advanced planning. A
farmer sometimes can give
three, four or five reasons why he
chose No-Til. He often admits
that he used No-Til without a
prior plan or knowledge of ad
vantages.
However, the difference bet
ween a good or modest profit
depends on prior planning. Firm
consideration should be given to
at least the following ten gu
idelines. Each guideline should
be adapted to a particular soil,
climate, and farmers objectives.
The advantages should be con
sidered thoroughly before the
decision to go No-Til is made*
1. Soil Adaptability
No-Til cropping or any other
form of minimum tillage does not
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than on coarser sands and silt
loams. Others do not recommend
using No-Til with crusting soils
that do not fracture upon drying.
There does appear to be a
greater yield response from No-
Til on finer texture soils.
However, much of this difference
can also be attributed to previous
crop, percent surface cover and
plant population.
So, No-Til is adaptable to most
soil and slope conditions. The
decision to go No-Til is usually
based on management cir
cumstances such as a desire to
reduce hours in the field, reduce
capital outlay and reduce soil
runoff.
2. Time Saving Value
In planning a No-Til operation,
consider specific cost reduction
goals to create a worthwhile and
basic yardstick against which to
measure your success.
Time is a recognizable value
measured in dollars. Consider
the significance of time reduction
for land preparation and plan
ting. Can more acres be planted
during an optimum time in
terval?
What effect can this have on
yield?
First, consider the time saved
by spending less time on the
tractor in a particular field, No-
Til reduces labor cost by as much
as 70 to 80 percent. What is this
worth to you? If you haven’t
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particular field. A word of
caution, though, in your planning.
It is true that labor and
machinery costs are reduced
through No-Til. But the farmer
who thinks he can eliminate most
of his inputs may be disappointed
since savings in labor and
machinery are often offset by
increases in other inputs such as
chemical, seed and fertilizer.
Third, consider the effect of
holding off on planting until
precisely the right moment in
terms of temperature and
moisture. Studies show up to $l4
per acre gains in corn and
soybean yield when planting is
done at the optimum time for
ideal germination. Similar op
portunities in beans and grain
crops show that response to
timeliness in planting is
profitable.
The decision to make is: Can
you postpone your planting date
to the precise moment for ideal
conditions? Agronomists say that
with favorable spring weather,
the presence or absence of
specific tillage operations may
not affect the planting date for all
farmers. However, with in
creased farm size, adverse
spring conditions and in specific
situations such as double crop
ping or cultural pest controls,
planting dates become more
critical.
Fourth, No-Til gives you the
ability to plant more acreage,
during the optimum time span.
3 Controls Water Erosion
Because erosion prevention
and water retention is of major
concern on millions of cropland
acres, discussion on the subject
reduces itself to how much
avoidance, on what kind of land
and with what effects.
No-Til controls water erosion.
Surface residues left by using No-
Til soften the impact of rainfall
reducing surface sealing and the
amount of soil run-off.
Water erosion is costly. Top soil
contains such plant nutrients as
nitrogen, phosphorous and
organic matter. When significant
water erosion occurs, the most
valuable ingredients of the soil
profile is lost.
4. Avoids Wind Erosion.
This kind of erosion control can
be applied in degrees tailored to
maintenance of the ecology in an
area beyond the immediate
cropland. But whatever the
purpose, soil preparation through
No-Til planting leaves crop
residue on the ground to retard
wind erosion.
5. Conserves Soil Moisture.
No-Til leaves crop residues on
the top of the soil to conserve
moisture and aid soil infiltration.
This is especially important
during dry seasons. With con
ventional tillage, excess
evaporation may take place,
limiting crop yields and the
amount of water available to the
crop.
6. Soil Structure Improvement,
Perhaps it is contradictory to
say that No-Til improves soil
structure because for centuries it
has been advocated that tillage
improves soil structure and
creates a more desirable seedbed
environment.
However, modern research
shows that several forms of
minimum-tillage for row-crop
production also can improve soil
tilth, reducecomjDaction, lower
the bulk density and the
resistance to penetration, in
crease water infiltration and
improve aeration. These
characteristics are preferred in a
optimum seedbed environment.
Over-tillage of the soil breaks
down the natural aggregation of
soil particles. This results in a
puddling effect which causes
crusting or sealing of the surface
and compaction of the entire
plowing depth. Bulk density in
creases at the expense of porosity
which is the necessary structural
characteristic for water in
filtration, aeration and internal
drainage
So, you may have an unex
pected benefit awaiting you if you
use No-Til planting technology.
7. Offers New Rotations.
Availability of chemical fer
tilizers, herbicides and in
secticides along with economic
pressures, has caused a switch in
crop rotation practices.
Talk of crop rotations in one
growing season has replaced talk
of multiple year rotations,
resulting in a growing popularity
,6f double cropping or multi
cropping in areas other than the
deep South.
Influencing this trend is No-Til
farming with its moisture
retention capability, lessening
the gamble of summer drought
arresting the second crop.
Double cropping, with the
ability to plant one crop behind
the harvest of a previous crop
without tillage, is being practiced
as far north as Michigan and
Minnesota
Many different combiantoons
of crops have been raised m
double and multi-cropping
programs with a great deal of
success arid profit to the grower.
Soybeans following winter barley
or ryri is a relatively common
practice where double cropping
is moving north.
8. Increased Land Use.
Land that cannot produce a
good crop under conventional
tillage methods cannot be ex-
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 27,1973
pcctcd to produce a good crop
with No-Til.
But with No-Til, a farmer can
utilize land further up the slopes
without the threat of soil erosion.
And the No-Til cropping practice
enables him to produce crops on
land formerly suitable only for
pasture and hay.
Furthermore, some farmers
are finding that they can
eliminate the time consuming
and expensive practices of
terracing or strip farming by
using minimum tillage practices.
With No-Til cropping, several
Kentucky researchers recently
agreed that, based on their data,
Class 111 land can be moved to
Class II land without increasing
erosion hazards.
Cne researcher summarized
his findings by stating, “After 30
years and about $3O billion of soil
conservation work in this
country, we stumble onto a
system that not only pays its own
way, but eliminates the need for
further spending and, actually
yields an immediate return.
There aren’t many soil con
servation efforts that can show
such immediate and sizable
returns. And the best part is that
the new land that can be put into
production with this system is
primarily in the marginal, hilly
areas where farm income needs
the bigest boost. It will more than
double the productive acreage of
many small farms.”
9. Increased Yields.
Many minimum or No
til advocates would settle for crop
yields equal to those of con
ventional tillage, feeling the
other advantages are incentive
enough to make the practice
worthwhile. Others, particularly
those seeking the soil and water
conservation rewards of no
tillage might gladly sacrifice
some yield in exchange for the
fringe benefits.
Actually, it isn’t necessary to
sacrifice, yield, or even to settle
for equal yields, m order to enjoy
the desirable side effects of No-
Til farming.
In fact, higher yields have
become one of the chief reasons
many growers are turning to
minimum-tillage systems in
some areas. Test have shown that
in the average year the
minimum-tillage crop has a
better-than-average chance of
out-yielding the conventionally
tilled crop. Furthermore, in a dry
year, the odds are increased m
favor of the minimum-tillage
crop.
10. Higher Profits.
Profit opportunities from No-
Til systems have been
documented by university
research and on-the-farm ex
periences can only be ascer
tained if an individual tries it oh
his farm. A Kentucky economic
analysis projects a probable per
acre-advantage range of minus
$3 25 to plus $53.75, with $l6 per
acre advantage estimated as
typical. This analysis doesn’t
include any figures for reduced
labor (I-V2 to 2 hours per acre) or
for long-range conservation
benefits.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is unlikely that
you would realize all benefits
with one crop in one year. But it is
even more unlikely that you
would not realize any of the
advantages. Most researchers
and farmers working with No-Til
crops list four, five or six ad
vantages with their particular
crop, soil and climatic conditions
Most were attracted to No-Til
farming by a single potential -
benefit. and have realized their
goal in the first or second year
To be successful in No-Til
planting, proper planning is
essential You must be willing to
invest time in building up a
system and plan for both short
and long range benefits. Use the
ten guidelines in this article as a
starting point.
No-Til is an Allis-Chalmers
trademark.
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