Is there a benefit to moldboard plowing a no-till field once every 10 years? A recent article, “Changing Tillage, Changing Nutrient Management,” in the Spring 2008 issue of Plant Nutrition Today suggested that continuous no-till can lead to accumulation of phosphorus (P) at the soil surface, causing higher P concentrations in runoff.

The rising costs of materials and components, manufacturers say, are forcing them to increase the pricing of their equipment, which may force machinery dealers to increase the prices of farm equipment to growers, Ag Equipment Intelligence (AEI) reports.

Despite the loss of support for crop residue surveys by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, some counties around the United States continued to gather information about tillage practices in 2006.

While ethanol is the shining star behind expanding corn production, not everyone believes the long-range outlook is good for filling a huge amount of U.S. oil needs with crop-based energy. But if the ethanol demand cools off, increased export demand will certainly pick up the slack and solidify the demand for still more corn acres.

If there's ever been any doubt on your part regarding the huge savings you’ll earn on fuel purchases from no-tilling, check out the No-Till-Age chart at the bottom left side of this page.