Frogleg wrote:
On Wed, 12 May 2004 19:40:48 GMT, Mark & Shauna wrote:
Frogleg wrote:
I doubt no-till will ever be the norm but it is far more than an erosion
control and makes complete sense if you can employ it. As I stated
however this can be hard to do on a massive scale. The mere amount of
organic mulch that would be needed on large commercial farms would be
overwhelming in generation and application. No-till does produce far
better soil and therefore growing conditions for crops however I dont
think the increased yeilds of no-till practices would offset the expense
(both dollars and environmental) of going no-till on mass.
Actually, no-till is probably much easier to do on a large scale. Many
of the big farm equipment companies make machines specifically for the
purpose of no-till.
I didn't say erosion control was the *only* presumed benefit of
no-till farming. Soil compaction is reduced by not using heavy
machinery in the fields. Fossil fuel is saved and pollution avoided by
not using heavy machinery in the fields. (I wonder if harvest is by
hand.)
I don't know where you live but you might call your state's extension
service and see if they can put you in touch with someone actually using
no-till processes. You might learn a lot.
As I understand it, no-till means no weed-clearing, with planting or
seeding accomplished by slits or holes poked through existing organing
matter. I fail to understand how this reduces weeds. I also understand
that crop yields are *lower* with no-till, but one feels so good about
being 'green' that it doesn't matter.
While no single system will work better than all others in all cases,
no-till certainly does not result in *lower* yields in most cases.
Here's a piece at the University of Maryland (where much of the no-till
technology was poineered, IIRC):
http://www.agnr.umd.edu/MCE/Publicat...ion.cfm?ID=259
And another (PDF) from Iowa State University:
http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1097.pdf
If you don't believe them, here's a farmer writing about no-till:
http://www.cedarmeadowfarm.com/TFSArticle08.html
--
HLS