No-Till Farmer’s 15th annual benchmark study of no-till practices conducted in late 2022 shows continued strong use of no-till technology and slow but steady growth in cover crop use on no-till acres.

The survey received 456 responses from growers in the U.S. and Canada, offering a statistical snapshot of various practices, technology and equipment in use. Percentages represented in this report reflect the total number of respondents replying to any given question — with the exception of operator age, farm acreages and land-use data, which are based on the total number of responses to the survey.

The largest age group responding (42.3%) was 65 or older, followed by the 55-64 age group (25.2%) and 35-54 group (24.6%). No-tillers under 25 years old made up the smallest group at 0.2% of the total response. Nearly 60% of total respondents have no-tilled for 15 or more years.  

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No-Till, Cropping Practices

Total cropping areas per farm averaged 1,182 acres, a figure that indicates 2022 respondents used no-till on roughly half a million acres. More than 95% of respondents no-till, followed by about 15% each reporting using strip-till or vertical tillage. 23% say they use minimum-till practices.

Roughly 85% of no-till respondents grow corn and soybeans, followed by 40% who plant winter wheat and more than 37% growing hay and alfalfa. 

Cotton growers led the no-tillers in average acres planted at 1,128 acres per farm, followed by those who plant pulse crops at 699 acres…