Forty years ago this month, I made my first visit to USDA’s North Appalachian Experimental Watershed in Coshocton, Ohio. Established in 1935, this 1,047-acre facility had been built with depression-era labor from several government assistance programs.

For a number of years, there’s been a “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico that is caused by nitrogen runoff flowing from farms down the Mississippi River into the Gulf.

No-tillers definitely understand the value of leaving residue in their corn fields. They recognize that corn stalks, leaves, husks and cobs help reduce soil losses, provide cheap nutrients, trim greenhouse emission levels, boost moisture levels, help organic matter, improve soil quality, reduce compaction and increase crop productivity.

Many farmers recognize that no-tilled ground is probably worth more than land farmed with more intensive tillage. Yet there’s little evidence that indicates no-tilled ground brings a premium price when a farm goes on the sale block.