What is Conservation Tillage?

The actual definition of conservation tillage can be difficult to figure out. Conservation tillage practices typically result in a much lower level of soil disturbance. The picture on the right shows a field that has been tilled using a method of conservation tillage. Notice how the soil is disturbed in narrow bands or strips, leaving most of the surface residue in place.

Many times you'll hear conservation tillage referred to as "modified no-till" or "reduced tillage." Both of these definitions are pretty much correct, reduced tillage is usually defined as a method of soil preparation that decreases the amount of tillage operations or decreases the amount of energy used.

No-till as the name implies, is a cultural practice where very little or no tillage is performed prior to planting. There is some disagreement about whether no-till really is the complete elimination of tillage. To plant the seed some amount of soil disturbance has to happen. But compared to conventional tillage and conservation tillage the amount of soil disturbed in a no-till field is a lot lower. No-till production systems have been modified by tilling or disturbing narrow areas, hence the name modified no-till. For the sake of clarity I typically refer to these methods of soil preparation as reduced or conservation tillage.