When you think of livestock, most likely you picture herds of cattle or hogs. But, not if you're Bob Neidigh of Bremen, Ind.

Heavy rainfall and flooding in many Midwest fields in 1993 prompted farmers and others to ask about soil compaction and the need for preplant tillage prior to planting the following year. On five Iowa farms that experienced excessive rainfall, U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers compared shallow, moderate and deep tillage and evaluated their effects on soil compaction and crop yields.