No-tillers forced to work in wet fields this fall after heavy rains might want to know that most experienced no-tillers favor the freeze-thaw cycle and cover crops rather than tillage to break up compacted soil.

No-tillers have a stake in the production of ethanol. Currently, most ethanol is produced from corn, which has driven up demand and prices. But the consensus among researchers is that corn grain eventually will be replaced by other raw materials, possibly including crop residue, which could a revenue source for no-tillers.

No-tillers are keenly aware of the benefits that cover crops can provide to their soil, yet a recent survey funded by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture indicates that cover crop usage lags.

Bill Mitchell, a retired University of Delaware agronomist now living in New Hampshire, praises the nitrogen-producing qualities of hairy vetch as a no-till cover crop. After doing extensive research on hairy vetch, he believes it provides a 100-pound nitrogen credit per acre to the following crop and is suitable for corn.

"I get to see a lot of what some of the best farmers in the state and the country are doing. I find that most no-tillers, especially the ones committed to long-term no-tilling, are really chasing this thing called soil quality. That's what ultimately gives them an economic boost." --Barry Fisher

Timing of control and planting in a single pass could limit adoption; hope lies in breeding cover crops that flower in time for traditional planting window.