September 19, 2024
By Tony Bailey
Change in any aspect of life is tough. Moving away from a reliance on tillage is one of those tough changes. There are times when tillage could be considered — this is called tillage with a purpose. For example, a light incorporation of cover crop seed or manure can be essential, and leveling after tile installation is necessary. However, it’s never too late to consider breaking the tillage treadmill routine.
Here are five reasons for you to break the cycle now by not tilling or reducing the intensity of tillage this fall. Doing so will lead to increased savings on your farm.
Save money on fuel. How much diesel do you use to get your crop in the ground? What is the cost per acre? A no-till cropping system uses, on average, less than 2 gallons of diesel fuel per acre. Conventional tillage systems consume over 6 gallons per acre. Assume diesel fuel is $3.51 per gallon. On 1,000 acres, fuel for no-till would be $7,020. For a conventional system, fuel for 1,000 acres would cost $21,060. Removing a tillage pass or not running equipment as aggressively results in fuel savings. Calculate savings using a free energy estimator tool from the Natural Resources Conservation Service at energytools.sc.egov.usda.gov.
Save time and money on labor. How much does each tillage pass “cost” per acre or hour? The cost is more than monetary. Plus, it is becoming increasingly harder to find help. If you’re the one in the tractor, that time could be better spent elsewhere. For instance, suppose you can till 18 acres per hour. You would save about 55 hours of work with each eliminated tillage pass on 1,000 acres.
Save money on horsepower and equipment repairs. How much horsepower do you have on your farm? Some soils “pull” differently than other soils. If soils are degraded via a loss of topsoil due to erosion or crusting and a loss of aggregation due to tillage or compaction from working fields under less-than-ideal conditions, tilling requires more horsepower, fuel, labor and time. That requires a larger tractor to get things done. Don’t forget to include equipment repairs from hitting rocks exposed by erosion in your cost calculations.
Build a resilient, sustainable and regenerative operation. The Midwest experiences more extreme weather events today. Are the days of gently soaking rains being replaced by short-duration, intense rainfall? Are dry periods lasting longer? Are summertime nights hotter? What can you do to build a more resilient agricultural and cropping system? Soils are one of the most important resources on your farm, yet they’re underrepresented in discussions about yield-limiting factors.
Build healthy soil. Healthier soil is more resilient and better able to withstand extremes. Reducing tillage, diversifying crop rotations and adding cover crops all help to reduce topsoil erosion, build soil organic matter, increase infiltration of precipitation and improve soil biology. If you are building organic matter, your soil can hold on to more nutrients and water longer.
Not all nutrients that organic matter holds are immediately available to plants, but with current input prices and longer periods of dry weather, every little bit can make a difference. Healthier soil also has better structure to resist erosion. The sooner you start building healthier soil, the sooner you can reap benefits. Consider starting now by skipping or reducing fall tillage.
Bailey is a state conservation agronomist with the National Resources Conservation Service in Indiana. He writes on behalf of the Indiana Conservation Partnership.
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