Paul Mahoney saw fast results when he switched to strip tillage in 1997.

Its simplicity avoided making him equipment poor, and he harvested higher corn and soybean yields. “I also cut fertilizer and chemical costs and became a better steward of the soil,” he says.

Now that he’s applying those same lessons to no-till trees on his 1,300 acre Swift County, Minn., irrigated operation.

Government Incentives Pay

During the last 4 years, the veteran no-tiller has signed up for Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) environmental benefit practices (CP3 and CP4D) that pay him to plant poplar trees for eventual pulp wood harvest. Participants agree to split Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres into one-third poplar trees, one-third permanent hardwood trees and one-third undisturbed grassland buffer strips. He sees the harvest of the poplars 12 years down the road as a nice retirement add-on income.

“Our wood supplies are dwindling faster than they’re being replenished,” says Mahoney, who, with his wife, daughter and son-in-law, have already no-tilled 170 acres of poplar trees. “The program turns land not suited for cropping into a profitable farm enterprise.”

Why Subsoiling, Mulching Pays

Mahoney says two pieces of equipment are essential for his reduced-till success. “We need to mulch the residue to warm up…