Environmentally Friendly Farming

According to research done by USDA scientists, farmers who use no-till production systems can substantially halt soil erosion and enhance efforts to protect water quality.

John Williams, USDA Agricultural Research Service hydrologist, led the study which compared runoff, soil erosion, and crop yields in a conventional, tilled wheat-fallow system to a no-tell four-year crop rotation system.

Williams and his colleagues from the ARS Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center in Pendleton, Oregon, set up the research plots in two small neighboring drainage areas near in the Wildhorse Creek Watershed located in northeast Oregon. Then, for three years, the researchers measured runoff and sediment loads at the mouth of each drainage channel after almost every rainfall.

The observations showed the researches that 13 rainfalls generated erosion from the conventionally tilled fields, while only three rainfalls resulted in erosion from no-tilled fields. Furthermore, the researchers found that 70 percent more runoff and 52 times more eroded material escaped from the conventionally tilled fields, as compared to the no-till fields.

No-till production also left the soil surface intact and protected pore space beneath the soil surface, allowing more water to penetrate into the soil. No significant yield difference was produced between the no-till and conventional-till fields. However, direct seeding in the no-till fields saved both fuel and time.

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