Best Tools for No-Till Farming

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Flail mowers' blades pulverize cover crops, producing small pieces that are easy to work into the top inch or two of soil.
Flail mowers' blades pulverize cover crops, producing small pieces that are easy to work into the top inch or two of soil.
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A rotary power harrow's tines stir the soil, and its mesh roller levels the surface for planting.
A rotary power harrow's tines stir the soil, and its mesh roller levels the surface for planting.
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Market gardener Jean-Martin Fortier makes sure his cover crop isn't going to seed.
Market gardener Jean-Martin Fortier makes sure his cover crop isn't going to seed.
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A slicer-planter cuts through the deep layer of cover-crop mulch on a no-till farm.
A slicer-planter cuts through the deep layer of cover-crop mulch on a no-till farm.
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Close-up of the soil-stirring tines on a rotary power harrow.
Close-up of the soil-stirring tines on a rotary power harrow.
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Close-up view of a slicer-planter, which creates an opening in a cover-crop mulch into which seeds can be planted.
Close-up view of a slicer-planter, which creates an opening in a cover-crop mulch into which seeds can be planted.
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Heavy, cylindrical roller/crimpers are designed to kill cover crops and create weed-suppressing mulch in no-till operations.
Heavy, cylindrical roller/crimpers are designed to kill cover crops and create weed-suppressing mulch in no-till operations.
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Close-up view of a flail mower's blades.
Close-up view of a flail mower's blades.

First, the bad news: We’ve lost millions of tons of soil from croplands in the United States annually for the past 20 years due to water and wind erosion. The rate of erosion skyrockets the more soil is cultivated and left bare. Heavy tillage also destroys the soil structure and life-forms that nourish plants, meaning more fertilizer and amendments are needed later. The good news? You can help turn around these problems by practicing no-till or low-till farming techniques on your own land.

No-till farming methods (also known as “zero tillage”) can be adapted to any size of operation — backyard gardens, small market gardens, multi-acre farms, and more. The technique involves creating a deep mulch, and then planting a crop through the mulch. No-till in conjunction with cover crops can reduce erosion, boost soil nutrients and organic matter, and conserve moisture. Additionally, the thick cover-crop mulch suppresses weeds and encourages the microbes, earthworms, fungi, and other beneficial microorganisms that maintain soil structure and health.

Although no-till farming is now used on more than 35 percent of the acreage of major crops, conventional operations largely depend on herbicides and synthetic fertilizers. Organic no-till methods, however, will allow you to avoid chemicals and improve the soil structure in your plot, whatever its size. For organic farmers who need specialized equipment to make zero tillage viable, we especially recommend the following tools.

Roller/Crimper

Organic no-till begins with a cover crop, which becomes mulch after it’s killed. You can kill your cover crop with hand tools if your plot is small enough, but larger growers do this mechanically. About 12 years ago, Jeff Moyer created the roller/crimper at Rodale Institute, a leader in organic farming methods. This implement is basically a large, heavy cylinder with long blades welded onto it in a chevron pattern (see slideshow). Rolled over a cover crop, the blades crimp the stems of the plants, killing them in place to make a weed-suppressing mulch that conserves moisture while adding organic matter to the soil as it and the cover crop’s roots degrade. “It’s the biology of the cover crop that’s doing all the work,” says Moyer, whose book, Organic No-Till Farming, describes how no-till limits tillage, reduces labor, and improves the soil without chemicals.

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