Silver Buckshot

Can reduced tillage help with the food problems? Many agricultural technologies have been adopted in hopes of reducing or eliminating hunger. Climbing food prices and scarcity of food provides evidence that those technologies may not have been as effective as originally planned.

It isn’t likely that one agricultural invention will act as a ”silver bullet” and solve all our food problems. A better idea might be to look for answers in the form of “silver buckshot” or many small solutions to a larger problem.

How does reduced tillage fit in? I’ve mentioned previously that reduced tillage typically requires fewer tillage passes. Basically this translates into less fuel use. This in turn can decrease the cost of production.

Decreased soil erosion and compaction in reduced tillage systems benefit the surrounding environment. Both these factors also can preserve the quality of farm land.