Problem: Traditional field preparation techniques involve regular tilling, often  several times a year, that agitates the soil in a variety of ways, typically with tractor-drawn implements.  Tilling is used to remove weeds, mix in soil amendments, shape the soil into rows and beds for crop plants, furrows for irrigation, and prepare the surface for seeding.  The bare soil surface is left more susceptible to the erosive forces of wind and water. Conventional tillage can require several passes by tractors and equipment that can compact the soil, release carbon that has been sequestered, and contribute to airborne exhaust and small-particle dust emission, (all bad for air quality).  

Solution: Conservation tillage refers to a number of techniques for establishing crops in the previous crop's residues, and includes reduced-tillage strategies such as  strip-tillage, where small strips are plowed to allow space for seed planting, and no-till, a technique that involves planting directly into the residue from the previous crop.  In the Midwest, where soil erosion by water is a large concern, conservation tillage systems are defined as those that leave at least 30% of the soil surface covered with crop residue after planting. In regions of the West that are particularly susceptible to wind erosion, conservation tillage is defined as a method that leaves at least 1,000 lbs/acre of residue on the field. Benefits of conservation tillage include increased soil moisture retention, increased infiltration of rain water, and improved soil quality through the increase in organic matter and lack of disruption of important soil microbes and anthropods.

For additional information about low-till and no-till farming in Yolo County link to our Conservation Profiles on the following local growers: Fritz Durst, the Rominger brothers,  Tony Turkovich, &  Blair Voelz.