Shed tillage equipment for the fall

Nov 07, 2019

The USDA is promoting this month as No-Till November

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The federal ag department is encouraging farmers to refrain from fall tillage to improve soil quality.

The USDA’s National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is promoting this month as No-Till November, which mimics No Shave November, where participants postpone shaving to raise awareness about cancer.

The message behind the no-till campaign is that undisturbed soil is healthier soil.

“No-till farming is a cornerstone soil health conservation practice, which also promotes water quality while saving farmers time and money,” Kurt Simon, an NRCS conservationist from Iowa, said in a statement.

Agronomists agree that no-till farming can have multiple benefits.

“No-till farming allows water to infiltrate the soil, which means there’s less water running off,’ Eileen Kladivko, an agronomy professor at Purdue University, told Farms.com. “You can protect the soil from temperature changes, and many farmers see yield increases as soil improves.”

Practicing no till in the fall could mean some equipment adjustments in the spring.

Farmers should adjust their machinery accordingly, said Michael McDonald, a no-till cash crop producer from Palmyra, Neb.

“You want to have a machine that can make a slit into the soil and have the least amount of soil disturbance with the best possible seed-to-soil contact,” he said. “When you open that soil, you release carbon and you never get that carbon back. I want carbon above and below ground.”

Farmers considering making the switch to no till will need to practice patience before seeing results.

“It’s like changing your diet – you won’t notice anything overnight,” McDonald said. “It could take four or five years on a farm to build up microbial activity because the soil wouldn’t be used to the shock of not being disturbed.”

Farmers are participating in the campaign by posting photos of their fields on social media using the hashtag #NoTillNovember.

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.