A wide range equipment options are available that till the soil at different depths and aggressiveness levels. New research from the University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University, and the Minnesota and North Dakota Corn and Soybean commodity groups show how these tools impact soil warming and drying and may ultimately affect crop yield.

South Dakota State University Extension buried mens' white cotton briefs in different tillage systems and viewed their decompositions as a comparison in the soil microbiology levels.

In the December 2014 issue of No-Till Farmer, we looked at a recent worldwide analysis of over 5,000 side-by-side tillage system observations in 610 peer-reviewed studies.

Even though the conservation and environmental benefits of no-tilling are likely reason enough to consider switching tillage practices, many farmers still want to know if it will pay off economically.