Why do farmers till

According to a report published in Scientific America, this decreases the fuel expense by 50 to 80 percent and the labor by 30 to 50 percent. One of the common misconceptions about no-till farming is that farmers can use this practice only if they grow genetically engineered GMO crops, which require the use of herbicides. In conventional no-till farming, farmers use herbicides to manage the weeds before and after sowing the seeds.

The amount of herbicides used in this approach is even higher than the amount used in tillage-based farming, which causes a threat to the environment and human health.

Organic no-till farming uses a variety of methods to manage weeds and reduce or eliminate tillage without resorting to the use of chemical herbicides.

These methods include cover crops, crop rotation, free-range livestock and tractor implements such as the roller crimper, which farmers can use to lay down a weed-suppressing mat that can be planted through in one pass. Thankfully, climate scientists now recognize that healthy soil plays an essential role in drawing down and sequestering carbon.

According to Rodale Institute, adopting regenerative agricultural practices across the globe could sequester global annual greenhouse gas emissions, which is roughly 52 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. Soil naturally stores carbon. This temporarily provides nutrients for crops. But as the soil carbon is exposed to oxygen in the atmosphere, it transforms into carbon dioxide, contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet.

No-till farming minimizes soil disturbance, which helps keep carbon in the soil. Well, some do , but that is a rare exception. In order for plants to survive, they still need to take in essential elements. Among the most important are nitrogen N , phosphorus P , and potassium K. These are commonly referred to as a group, NPK.

Most fertilizers will have all three of these elements in varying amounts, depending on the type and purpose of the fertilizer. Nitrogen is present in abundant amounts in all proteins and is an important element in chlorophyll. Phosphorus is necessary for the main source of chemical energy in plants, ATP.

Last, potassium is necessary for water movement and salt retention. Very obviously, plants need water. Some plants require a minimum amount of water. Others require a massive amount of H 2 O. Regardless of how much water a plant needs, they all use it for the same basic purposes: rigidity, transportation, and electrons. But rotation is key to weed control! Pingback: Agricultural literacy: why today? Pingback: Controversial ideas — to plough or not to plough — In The Field.

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Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Menu Skip to content Home About. Search for:. Farming is about Decisions There are a lot of reasons for farmers to plow or till their fields. Like this: Like Loading Why Do They Do That? Iowa Agriculture Literacy Hello. Rick Like Like. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:.

Email required Address never made public. Daikon radish is often one great option. Daikon radish — commonly called tillage radish — can break up plow pans while adding organic matter. Will you drill or broadcast your seeds? Some USDA service centers have no-till drills and other equipment you can rent for minimal fees to get started. Using a roller crimper with a no-till drill is just one option.

Building healthy, resilient soil takes time. You can quantify several economic benefits of switching to no-till : fuel savings, time savings, eventual fertilizer reductions.

Have your soil tested at least once every four years and conduct your own informal assessments regularly.