Here's the facts on organic matter... yes us no-till guys leave a lot on top, but we also don't disturb underneath, which plowing does- bringing the root mass to the top, where it can rot down. I've rented several farms that were moldboard plowed for 50 plus years or more and soil tested them. By no-tilling, using cover crops, etc I've been able to increase organic matter by .5 to 1% (5-10 tons per acre, or 25-50% jump on soils that were 2-2.5% to begin with) in 5 years. With 40 plus years of soil testing results here on our farm, I can tell you we had decreasing organic matter levels when we plowed, and increasing levels when we stopped.
All this leads to more water holding capacity, better structure to withstand water and wind erosion, greater populations of worms that do tillage for us, better soil microbiology that helps release fertilizer to growing plants, etc. At the same time I'm not fixing the plow, fueling the tractor, etc. and can spend more time with my cattle and family. And much less time picking stones.
It's been a win, win, win. We ARE not picking on you, but instead trying to point out there are alternatives that can lead to more profit and a longer term future in agriculture.
Yes soils are different in the Northeast- I lived there for 4 years. Yours look more like ours in the Midwest than a lot of soil I saw in central NY. Nonetheless, I've worked with no-tillers in Vermont that have had good success and are eager to share their success, even on the heavy clays along Lake Champlain.
I too enjoy your photos, but realize many of us are proud of our methods, too- there's no pride in soil in the ditch, or brown runoff. BAck 25 years ago, there was plenty of that in central NY.
Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo and video filesizes should be less than 5MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Restoration Story: Fordson Major - by Anthony West. George bought his Fordson Major from a an implement sale about 18 years ago for £200.00 (UK). There is no known history regarding its origins or what service it had done, but the following work was undertaken alone to bring it up to show standard. From the engine number, it was found that this Major was produced late 1946. It was almost complete but had various parts that would definitely need replacing.
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
