John Aeschliman turns over a shovelful of topsoil on his 4,000-acre farm in the Palouse region of eastern Washington State. The black earth crumbles easily, revealing a porous structure and an abundance of organic matter that facilitate root growth. Loads of earthworms are visible, too—another healthy sign.

Thirty-four years ago only a few earthworms, if any, could be found in a spadeful of his soil. Back then, Aeschliman would plow the fields before each planting, burying the residues from the previous crop and readying the ground for the next one. The hilly Palouse region had been farmed that way for decades. But the tillage was taking a toll on the Palouse, and its famously fertile soil was eroding at an alarming rate. Convinced that there had to be a better way to work the land, Aeschliman decided to experiment in 1974 with an emerging method known as no-till farming.

14 Comments

1. 1. Peter Dunphy 11:57 AM 6/30/08

   Great article. I am from an English farming family and I think we need to get back to good husbandry. Ie. mixed farming, three or four year crop rotation cycles, with grains, roots and pulses planted with companion crops, (eg. poppies and grains), manuring and pasturing with diferent types of stock to help keep fields weed free. Keeping steep or unsuitable ground wooded, hedges, ditches, minimum contour plowing, respect for if not absolute tolerance of wild life to create an extremely rich and beautiful eco- system. After a century of extremely poor husbandry propped up by cheap oil, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides "revolution" not "evolution" we need to rediscover good husbandry which has always incorporated scientific and technical advances into existing farming "lore". Those biblical armies of millions did exist but soil depletion and salinization, blew those nations away in the wind.
   peterdunphy51@gmail.com

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2. 2. Peter Dunphy 11:58 AM 6/30/08

   PS.
   Archeology has discovered that the population carrying capacity of Mesopotamia last reached a peak around the time of the Arab invasions (7th century), and then went into serious decline. This wasn't the first time that had happened in the area. In Europe we have seen similiar waxes and waning of population witnessed by pollen counts, (more forest, less farmimg) which also witnessed land degradation. Population collapse accompanied the fall of the Roman Empire and the close of the Middle-ages. Are we at the gates of yet another such event?
   
   --
   Edited by Peter Dunphy at 06/30/2008 5:22 AM

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3. 3. Peter Dunphy 11:58 AM 6/30/08

   Nice work
   

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4. 4. frgough 01:45 PM 6/30/08

   A lot of blather to read through, but I was finally able to distill it down to the salient points:
   
   No-till deprives plants of needed carbon dioxide (the article calls it by its evil name: greenhouse gas), requires more pesticide, more herbicide, more fertilizer and more capital, can reduce crop yields, and is economically unviable (which is why it's only used in countries that subsidize it - the article uses the code phrase "policies that encourage").
   
   But, it can reduce soil erosion and promotes social justice (whatever the hell that means), and will save the planet!!!

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5. 5. bnicathain 02:46 PM 6/30/08

   I would be interested to know what effects the widespread and prolonged use of herbicide has on areas farmed using the no-till method. Reduced run-off of fertilizers and soil to water courses may mean an improvement in water quality but sustained use of weedkiller in any environment will have negative consequences for ecosystem and human health.

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6. 6. kathrynq 04:10 PM 6/30/08

   Masanobu Fukuoka is the author of the primer "The One-Straw Revolution". He is a Japanese farmer who previously worked as a plant pathologist before developing his no till methods in the late 1930's. He is now 96 and has written numerous books on the subject. He was written up in Mother earth News. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1978-07-01/Organic-Farm-Masanobu-Fukuoka.aspx
   This method is far more than just no till, he does not require fertilizers, herbicides nor pesticides.

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7. 7. PeterH in reply to frgough 09:38 PM 7/8/08

   some seriously mis-informed comments from frgough, seemingly showing lack of knowledge about agriculture and food production generally. Reduced tillage systems have been major drivers of agricultural production in the major food producers [ as show in the diagrams accompanying the magazine article], and have been contributors to improved carbon cycling and sequestration in soils. Sure, a more traditional rotation system is desirable, and I see it coming in some regions of the world......but remember those rotations often included animals and a pasture phase, yet the ill informed see livestock production as a scourge [ methane emitting evil beasts!]. Conservation tillage systems can marry better land and soil management, still use the necessary herbicide and integrated management systems and integrate food production while husbanding soil resources [ physical, biological etc] . It can be win-win!
   
   I do not think the article adequately acknowledged Rattan Lal and his co-workers during his time in several CGIAR international centres - their contributions to the low-till options in the tropics were very significant. Ground cover at the start of the rainy season in the tropics is vital to preserving and enhancing soil, and holding moisture, critical to plant establishment, epecially in warmer climates.
   
   My background is an ag scientist in R and D in the tropics.

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8. 8. bfreewithrp 04:05 PM 7/23/08

   Whether it's being part of a community run garden, or setting aside a plot of land in your own back yard, growing your own vegetables is now a returning family pastime. So, where are the benefits from the time and labor spent to reap the golden harvest?
   
   Why Grow Your Own Vegetables
   

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9. 9. Gavinp 05:00 AM 7/29/08

   To find out why no tillage can be cost effective and cheaper than conventional tillage, go to www.crossslot.com.

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10. 10. Gavinp 05:02 AM 7/29/08

    To learn about why no tillage can be cost effective and more profitable to farmers over convential tillage practices, go to www.crossslot.com.

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11. 11. farmeral 01:28 AM 11/14/08

    As a farmer that has been strictly no till for 15 years I will vouch that crop rotation is essential for successful no till. If anyone tries no till without understanding that, they will fail. It has been a vital part of our system since the beginning. It's way too late for us to learn that from the organic farmers. As for chemical use, ours has actually been declining. As for the increased use of fertilizer, evidently frgough failed to read the part that explained that it is only at the initial phase because organic matter is increasing. (That's a good thing-it's called carbon sequestration if you believe the global warming fraud.) It means that there is actually more carbon available to plants growing in no till soils. As for chemical weed killer being negative for the environment and for human health-another one of those"facts" that everybody knows that is not supported by the evidence. Bear in mind I'm referring to chemicals applied in a responsible manner, not those often grossly over applied in the urban setting to have the greenest lawn. I once heard superstition described as "belief without evidence." The only thing to learn from organic is that it's easy to believe in something without evidence if it's politically popular enough to draw lots of grant money. We in no till believe in utilizing the best combination of all the tools available to us. As for profitability, there are immediate benefits in reduced labor and fuel costs, but the long term advantage of higher yields due to improvement in soil quality is greater. We are very pleased by the greatly improved yields we are experiencing. No subsidy was necessary to entice us to park the tillage tools.

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12. 12. JadeQueen 07:36 PM 7/1/09

    One-Straw Revolution is out in a new edition, and the editor, Larry Korn, is on a promotion tour with it. Masanobu Fukuoka died last year. Our current world problems underscore the importance of his work and his amazing determination to follow his hunches and observations without regard to the disapproval of others. His work was foreshadowed by George Washington Carver, a genius who drew famous successful people to Tuskegee Institute for visits. Fukuoka has documented high productivity with minimal inputs. He flooded his rice fields only twice per year, using far less water than his neighbors. He grew rye and clover as companions, and his soil was never bare, so he increased topsoil rather than depleting it. People trekked to see Fukuoka from all over the world, and in later years, he was talked into touring. In the U.S., the Amish are reputed to get high output with fewer inputs. Huge populations developed in India and China without chemical inputs. It requires diversity and careful stewarding.

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13. 13. JadeQueen 07:42 PM 7/1/09

    Geoff Lawton is another grower using permaculture principles who is working on a book documenting high-output, low-input food production.

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14. 14. dickr 07:33 PM 7/21/09

    Check ourt The Land Institute near Salina, Kansas. Wes Jackson received the "Right Livelihood Award" (also known as the "Alternative Nobel"). His work is developing perennial grain crops (do not need planting each year, and thus reduced fossil fuel for "plowing"). Annual food crops were needed when humans were nomadic, since seed are easier to carry and produce extensive seed and vegetative growth in the year the seed are planted. Agriculture developed when humans reduced their longer migrations lasting several years and could produce reliable food supplies locally within a year with annual production. This also allowed incorporation of domestic livestock into the crop production options.

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