Nearly 80% of Americans believe temperatures are definitely on the rise. Yet, very few members of the general public understand the key role that no-tillage will play in battling global warming over the next 90 years.

While many Americans don’t believe all the global warming threats and fears being promoted by many scientists, they understand what their backyard thermometers are telling them, says Jon Krosnick, a Standard University social psychologist.

Results from a recent Associated Press poll indicate that as many as 80% of our citizens are convinced that future climate changes represent a serious threat to both the environment and food production.

No-Till Is The Answer

Some ag scientists say a major hope for salvaging expected crop yield losses that could occur with global warming is the expanded use of no-till. By keeping the soil surface covered with residue, no-till can not only overcome higher-temperature concerns, but will help conserve water as available supplies continue to dwindle.

These conclusions are among findings from an innovative Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study in Colorado that looked at 17 years of actual crop and climate data from the Central Great Plains Research Station in Akron, Colo.

Using 16 computer-simulation programs created for other agricultural research projects, the scientists summarized potential climate changes between now and the year 2100 for the semiarid central Great Plains.

Over the next 90 years, the Colorado scientists anticipate that global warming will lead to rising carbon-dioxide levels, higher temperatures and a shift in significant rainfall from late…