Chilliwack, British Columbia | I may agree with you on how plowing is degrading to the soil. however, as farmers, part of our income is crops we get off the land (being dairy farmers, our income is indirect from the crops, but we still like to maximize our yield). Our local research farm did small sample trials of notilling in many areas of our small valley. The results: it did not result in higher yields, over several years.reason? our springs are too wet and cold for the corn seed (all the trials were corn) to germinate at a decent time, and the ground did not let the roots expand. a reduced yield, longer maturation time from a slow start (which keeps our cover crop from getting planted and harvested, another reduced yield), means to me, that no till does not work here.
if you still don't believe me, come on over for a few years and plant some corn no till here, and try it.
glenn |
Plowing for NV Dave
