Salem, S.D., farmer Kurt Stiefvater started no-tilling 20 years ago to save soil moisture and save more money by reducing the number of tillage passes. He added small grains and cover crops to the 1,800-acre operation 8 years ago, and those decisions have improved Stiefvater’s yields, soil health and the condition of his cattle herd.

The NASS and the Natural Resources Conservation Service surveyed about 34,000 producers between May and September 2022. Of that number, about 84% said they had implemented conservation tillage practices, the second-highest reported conservation practice.

A hotter atmosphere is causing rain to fall in harder bursts, pushing back planting seasons and drowning crops. At the same time as human-driven climate change is juicing precipitation, Corn Belt farming practices such as installing underground drainage tiles and leaving fields bare after harvest are changing how water moves across the landscape and into waterways.

For over thirty years I managed farms in northwest and northcentral Iowa for absentee farm owners whom I worked closely with to make soil and water conservation an important part of our farm plans. I convinced my farm operators to stop moldboard plowing, move to chisel plows and eventually leave soybean stubble untilled in the fall.

Matt Grosshans, a Hamilton County, Neb., farmer, knows reduced tillage, cover crops and crop rotations were vital to maintaining his soil.