This is how our Carroll county soils react to tillage.

Here's why we haven't chissled/disked/etc on our farms for over 15 years.


This plowed sidehill shows exposed subsoil -- green/orange soil -- no topsoil.


Tilled soybean stubble


Tilled cornstalk field


Tilled soybean stubble
Note the grass strip in the sidehill really does no good for erosion prevention.


Tilled cornstalks


This water is coming from a 6 acre tilled sidehill on next picture below


20 year No-Till on left - fall subsoiled bean stubble on right


The whole key to long term No-Till healing -- nightcrawlers


How we plant it


The land has been harmed by over 100 years of tillage on our fields so No-Till won't heal it over-night but may take a lifetime on many of them.

On most of them we have to mechanically repair the sidehills. Healing the soil

A long term (15 or more years) No-Till field is like a sponge with very little compaction and lots of air pockets for aeration and water infiltration.

A tilled field is a flattened out sponge with lots of compaction and few air pockets for aeration and water infiltration.

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