No-tillers in the Southwest have been suffering through severe drought conditions, though they are probably doing better than their conventional-till neighbors.

One piece of news did catch my eye. The Enid, Okla., News and Eagle reports that fire danger was extremely high in the area, leading to the cancellation of Fourth of July fireworks. This was common throughout the Southwest.

But, one local fire chief expressed concern about one practice farmers are using — no-till. He said the stubble left behind was a concern in that it was fuel for any grass fires that might get away.

To be fair, he wasn't criticizing no-till — just stating a fact. But it's the type of thing that some uninformed people with an ax to grind against farmers might use.

Then again, just think of the alternative if we weren't no-tilling. Did you see the pictures from Phoenix of the dust storm that engulfed the city recently? And, lest we forget history, there was that little thing called the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

I think I'll take my chances with the fire risk.

 A final note — if your no-till stubble ever does catch fire and burn up, you may be able to collect insurance. Check out this No-Till Farmer article from the archives.