A new study conducted found that heavy farm machines have the same impact on soil compaction as the dinosaurs who stomped on the soil millions of years ago.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators podcast, brought to you by Terrasym, Frank Lessiter talks with Lloyd Murdock, professor emeritus at the University of Kentucky about his early lessons from no-till, how soil changes over the decades after tillage stops, an experiment that took years to take off, and more.

Today’s agricultural tires resemble their predecessors in that they are still round and mainly made of rubber. Maintaining a tread and staying inflated may have been enough for years, but modern tire design parameters accounting for soil compaction, improved traction, tread wear, sidewall strength at super-low inflation rates and, increasingly, environmental concerns have permanently changed the way farm equipment engages the soil.

Soil compaction caused by wheel traffic has become an increasing concern among farmers, especially due to the weight of high-capacity, central-fill planters on the center transport wheels. Demonstrating just how much compaction can occur, how it impacts yield and how to minimize compaction at planting are goals of the AGCO Crop Tour program in 2020.

Lewis Krueger, CEO of Cross Slot Systems explains how the company engineered the Cross Slot drill to require no more than 12 psi, thereby minimizing the risk of introducing soil compaction.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Midwest Bio-Tech, we're joined by former NRCS soil health specialist Jim Hoorman who explains how improving soil structure with no-till and cover crops can help alleviate compaction problems.