How to start no-till farming?
Written by
Paul Reynolds
Reviewed by
Prof. Samuel Fitzgerald, Ph.D.The advantages of no-till practices commence with having a plan. Consider retrofitting your planters, and then dedicate 20% of your land to cover crops. Funding through USDA programs, such as EQIP, can assist in funding 30-50% of your initial investments. This also lowers entry barriers into sustainable practices, protects your soil structure, and gives your operation long-term sustainability for healthy yields.
Equipment Modifications
- Row cleaners: $800-$1,200 per planter unit
- Downforce systems: Ensure consistent seed depth
- Disc openers: Handle heavy residue without clogging
USDA Funding
- EQIP grants: Cover 30-50% of retrofit costs
- CSP payments: $18-$45/acre for cover crop adoption
- Technical assistance: Free soil health assessments
Introduce cover crops such as cereal rye on 20% of the fields initially. They will help suppress weeds, add organic matter, and improve water infiltration. Test soils every three months to see the changes in pH and nutrients. Reduce or adjust fertilizers and herbicides as microbial activity and diversity shift as synthetic inputs are used.
Use EQIP grants to help manage planter retrofit costs. A $4,800 investment will become a $2,400 investment with a 50% reimbursement. Use these savings, on soil health tools, such as penetrometers that measure how no-till systems improve compaction over time, from 300 PSI to 180 PSI.
Read the full article: No Till Benefits: Boost Soil Health & Farm Profits
