Too much or the wrong kind of tillage can damage your soil. Some tips on retaining its benefits while avoiding its negatives
by KEITH REID
Most crop fields in Ontario are tilled at some point during the rotation. If you ask the average farmer why, you may get an answer about improving crop yields but few details beyond that. Tillage is simply a deeply ingrained habit.
Unfortunately, too much or the wrong kind of tillage leads to a number of undesirable outcomes:
Increased soil erosion by wind or water;
Scalping of topsoil from the knolls and moving it down slope;
Loss of soil organic matter;
High costs for equipment, maintenance and fuel.