So, should no-till and other conservation-tillage practices have a major place in the Farm Bill? Managing editor John Dobberstein recently posed that question on the No-Till Farmer Facebook page.
It's enjoyable to read the responses and we'd like to encourage you to join the conversation with your fellow no-tillers:
- "No. No-till benefits us enough. We don't need a reward from the farm bill. The farm bill should provide incentives for tillers to switch to no-till," says no-till Chuck Zumbrun.
- "We contribute a whole lot less to the erosion problem — be it wind, air or water," adds no-tiller James Wuerflein.
I don't know if there's a right or wrong answer to this question. I do think if legislators in this country are serious about encouraging more environmentally sound farming practices, they ought to consider doing more than talk the "green" talk to score points with voters and consider incentives that realize an achievable goal.
However, I sure like to see farmers no-tilling who have persevered through the years to overcome challenges because they believe they can not only be profitable with the no-till system, but that it's the right thing to do.
