I love this time of year when combines, tractors pulling wagons, and trucks are busy harvesting and hauling all that good grain into storage or to market. We No-Till our crops and have been doing so for over 10 years. No -Till farming is just what it says..............................................we don't go in with plows and plow the soil up for it to erode and blow away. Most of the time we don't do anything to the soil when we plant, but occasionally we will run a cultivator over the fields if there are areas that are beginning to erode....................but this is just a spot treatment. I guess you would say we use minimal tillage. A second and very important part of No-Till farming is that we leave the crop residue in the field to deteriorate naturally....it's kind of like composting , providing nutrients for the soil and giving something for the soil to "hold on to" so it won't wash away. We, as farmers, are very conscious about soil conservation because soil is our livelihood. If you get a chance, get out and walk into a corn field and take a look at the residue our combines leave behind. It's a good thing.
So that means for the most part you leave the crust intact and let the little critters do their job of breaking down the compost and creating better soil! Just reading a book about the importance of letting nature do the work in the soil and how they store CO2 instead of it contributing to Global warming.
ReplyDeleteMylene