At all of our 34 National No-Tillage Conferences, a commonly-asked question has dealt with how to get more growers to adopt the reduced tillage practice that’s already being used on 108 million U.S. acres. 

A case study done a decade ago by U.S. research analyst Leonard P. Gianessi indicated the most important factor involved with no-till adoption in South America was to educate and convince farmers of a new way of growing crops. 

Nearly 50 years ago, growers in Brazil were ready for radical change as soil erosion and soil degradation were out of control. Annual erosion rates ran as high as 56 tons per acre with conventional tillage.

On newly cleared land in southern Brazil, excessive tillage led to a loss of half the soil’s extremely valuable organic matter. Roads and reservoirs were clogged with valuable topsoil rich in organic matter and nutrients.

Different Mindset

One reason no-till caught on quickly in Brazil was the lack of deep-rooted ag traditions, such as we see here in the states. Younger Brazilian generations were seeing the value in farming virgin soils on newly-cleared land and had an open-mindedness about fresh farming ideas. 

Weed control was the major obstacle with adopting no-till. First with paraquat and later Roundup, improved no-till weed control became a reality in Brazil. Plus, Brazilian manufacturers engineered more effective planters and drills.

In southern Brazil, research showed no-till could trim soil erosion by up to 97% and slash water runoff by 70%. Soil losses of 20 tons per acre per year with conventional tillage were  reduced to 800 pounds per acre with no-till. 

Managing Water

The additional 4 inches of water that could be stored in the soil with no-till opened the door for successful double cropping of wheat and soybeans. And at the same time, Brazilian no-tillers were increasing yields, reducing tractor use, trimming machinery investment and reducing fuel needs.

Thanks to no-till, corn yields increased by 20-30% and 27% for soybeans. These increased yields were mainly due to reduced surface water runoff and increased soil infiltration. No-till also maximized rainfall, recharged groundwater and reduced flooding.

Not having to deal with decades of traditional farming practices offered Brazilian growers a quick way to expand their no-tilled acres. No-till growth was tmuch more rapid than in other areas of the world.

Doubling our no-till acres won’t be as easy as it was in Brazil. But new mentoring programs, fresh technologies, a changing climate, the need for more farm profitability and growing environmental concerns can help us keep plugging away on boosting our no-till acres.