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RE: Rototilling - What is the alternative

At 8:04 PM -0500 4/4/02, lina burton wrote to GWL:
>>>I don't think most people realize that, in order for no-till corn
>>>production to work, in addition to drilling the seeds into the soil, a
>>>weed-killer also has to be spread simultaneously to prevent weeds from
>>>overrunning the field. This is why, if you live in an agricultural area
>>>where this is practiced, you will see fields of browned grasses or weeds
>>>with nice neat rows of corn sprouting among the devastation. On
>>>hillsides, the no-till method can be useful, since it prevents erosion,
>>>but on flat or very gently rolling land where erosion is not a problem,
>>>it does nothing but add herbicides to large amounts of acreage, and for
>>>that reason, I oppose it in these areas.<<<
==========

Lina Burton points out that the use of herbicides in commercial no-till
farming presents a chemical downside to the wonderful erosion control
benefits.  However, garden writers should be aware that there are
herbicide-free no-till regimens being followed in big ag.  Most of the
research and methods are emanating from the so-called "sustainable
agriculture" advocates.

Below are some papers that review cover crops, tillage techniques, and
non-chemical no-till methods followed by market farmers.  It is happening.
-Ted Patterson     Phila. PA

Pursuing Conservation Tillage Systems for Organic Crop Production
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/organicmatters/conservationtillage.html

Two very new papers from ATTRA staff member, Steve Diver.  Not posted at
the website.  Includes photos of equipment that show how it's done:
Mulching Systems for Organic Market Gardening
http://ncatark.uark.edu/~steved/mulching-systems.doc

No-Till Vegetable Production:  Non-Chemical Methods of
Cover Crop Suppression and Weed Control
http://ncatark.uark.edu/~steved/no-till-veggie.html

Finally, Steve Groff, a farmer near me in Lancaster County PA, hosts an
annual field day to promote the benefits of no-till farming.  Groff has
cooperated with many research agronomists, documented his techniques in
instructional videos, and has an informative website at
http://www.cedarmeadowfarm.com/.

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