Paul Davis finds it easy to explain why cover crops make sense for no-tilling corn, wheat, soybeans and pumpkins on the family farm near New Kent, Va.

When left to her own devices, Mother Nature makes sure there is something living and growing in the soil at all times.

When you walk across a no-till field, Jill Clapperton says you’re walking on the rooftop of a bustling community. No-tilled soils teem with life, and with the right management techniques, you can use these busy organisms to your benefit, says the the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada soil biologist stationed at the Lethbridge Research Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta.