Progress in no-till

Excerpt

Early American agriculturists often referred to soil mulching in their writings, but the technology was not practical at the time (3). Recent developments in equipment and chemicals have made conservation tillage the practice of choice for effective, economic erosion control. After decades of clean-till farming, the nation is on the brink of a revolution in crop production systems.

Evolution of tillage systems

Mechanization of agriculture in the United States accelerated during the 1930s. Increased tractor power and other technological developments contributed to wide acceptance of tillage systems based on the moldboard plow. Clean tillage interacting with intense wind and rain caused excessive soil erosion in the nation's major agricultural regions.

The disastrous Dust Bowl in the Great Plains was attributed to drought in the 1930s. Similar and even more severe droughts have occurred since, but Dust Bowl conditions have not recurred. Actually, the Dust Bowl was the result of inadequate agricultural technology. But this disastrous period in history did focus national attention on the soil erosion problem.

Progress in soil conservation was made before World War II, but food demand during the war encouraged plowouts of land unsuitable for crop production with the technology available. Clean cultivation …