No till farming

Wheat grows easily enough out of the back of a combine so why do we need to move thousands of tonnes of soil every year with tillage in order to grow it?

Well we don't actually.  And this is the premise of the farmer led No Till Alliance which was set up to help farmers understand more about what is likely to be the predominant crop production method of the future.

Learning how to grow crops without moving the soil can be challenging  - there's no doubt about that but the environmental and economic benefits of doing so can be massive.  Economically, No Till means less tractor hours, less soil turned, less diesel used and when practised with foresight and quality less chemical and fertiliser expenditure.  Ecologically No Till means lower carbon emissions, less soil erosion, more wildlife habitat, better soil structure.

There is evidence for this around the world from Brazil to Bismarck (North Dakota!).  From Western Australia to Western Europe. Much of Western Europe has been curiously slow to look at No Till - old habits die hard and paradigms are particularly strong in UK research institutions and levy boards.  There will always be a need for the plough people say, well maybe there will, but I don't hear many people saying there will always be a need for the horse anymore...

No Till is win win.  Yes there are problems (it's farming there are always problems) - it's not a natural system so something will always crop up, but its closer to emulating the natural cycle of plants reliably than any other I can think of.  It can help farmers address many of our financial and environment issues if we were to start concentrating on it and start learning lessons from the leaders in the rest of the world as well as recognising our own innovators.

Its lower input for high output, and with a bit of exchange of ideas and support  I'm sure UK Arable farming could smash the tired old arguments of food production vs the environment and break new ground by moving less soil.

Will Scale is part of the No Till Alliance - a farmer led group. 

They have their next open day in Kent 5th May. Find out more about them here: http://no-tillalliance.co.uk/

You can also read Will's blog about holistic management: http://willoutwest.blogspot.com/2009/10/holistic-management.html