Importance Of Tillage And Its Effects On The Soil Essay

Farming has been a source of work ever since man has been introduced to the earth, but the past 100 years have been promising in continuing to provide for the needs of the growing population. The people have become more educated, and technology has become much more advanced. The two have come together to boon the land and animals so that they produce to their fullest potential. The people of the world have been influenced to the extent that they work smarter not harder to provide for the growing population. Farming, a crucial necessity to the survival of mankind, has evolved in the area of education of the people which has assisted in the advances of technology, land, and animal production which will lead to the provision of food for the growing

The emergence of agriculture was a major stepping stone in human history. During this birth of agriculture, also known as the Neolithic revolution, humans began inhabiting permanent settlements, grow their own crops, and domesticate both plants and animals for food (Weisdorf, 2005). Considering humans have been hunter-gatherers for the majority of their approximately 7 million years of existence, the emergence of agriculture in the Old World only occurring 10,000-5,000 years ago, marks a significant transformation in food sustenance techniques (Weisdorf, 2005). However, this turning point in history is associated with both positive and negative implications. There is much controversy over whether or not the introduction of

The transition to farming was a turning point in human history since people who remained hunter/gatherers couldn’t produce food as quickly as farmers, and couldn’t produce food that could be stored for a long period of time. Instead of roaming to search different locations for food, farming allowed them to drop seeds in soil that grow next to their

farming practices and thousands of acres of flat grassland being plowed, the soil no longer had

7 The concept of the soil conservation way to limit the plowing, and to stop the tractors to pick up and release dust into the sky If the act was not put into place the land would continue to get worse, but only until the sky came.

Journal #1. Page 32-“The era of human history when agriculture was the most important of all productive technologies and the foundation for most human societies.”

Key Concept 1.2. The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies II. Agriculture and pastoralism began to transform human societies. B. Technological innovations led to improvements in agricultural production, trade, and transportation. Pottery improved agricultural production because it gave a way to store a surplus of food.

The only downfall from this timely conception is the damage to the soil if the crops are not rotated every few years. Berry speaks about the fact that some individuals focus on the production of crops instead of the health of their land; this irresponsibility causes problems for the environment. Berry states, “Once one’s farm and one’s thoughts have been sufficiently mechanized, industrial agriculture’s focus on production, as opposed to maintenance, becomes merely logical…The farm and all concerns not immediately associated with production have in effect disappeared from sight” (Berry, p. 2, p. 3). Some of America’s Society do not care about the consequences of constantly harvesting. Instead, people concern themselves with meeting the supply and demands. Berry expresses his views about soil science and its uses of replacing the lost nutrients from the overuse of the land.

No till farming uses double-disc openers to cut out the last crop planted and dropping the new seed in its place. This farming technique does not disturb the soil as much as normal tilling. Many soil conservationists argue that soil tillage destroys the aggregation and microorganism of the soil. This in later terms reduces the sustainability of our food production and reduces the intake of water by the crop. No till farming benefits all farmers when used with cover crop, crop rotation or windbreaks.

Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “the history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil.” The United States began seeing sustainable management practices in farms, and healthier soil through this act. In 1982 through 2007, the United States soil erosion had declined by 43%” (Montanarella, 2015). Every year the United States loses about $400 billion dollars due to crop soil that is eroded. Soil is a limited resource and the largest resource for growing food, accommodating diverse ecosystems, and providing food resources. Therefore laws, acts, and provisions are necessary to protect this natural resource.

Today, in the United States, farmers and ranchers produce a wide variety of commodities for food, fuel, and fiber in response to markets. These farmers understand and recognize the significance of managing their soil as well as their plant productivity. America’s farmers are true professionals because crop production is a very complex business.

No till farming by definition is simply “a system for planting crops without plowing, using herbicides to control weeds and resulting in reduced soil erosion and the preservation of soil nutrients” (1). “In no-till agriculture, the farmer uses a disk or chisel plow to prepare the field for seeding” (3). The plows create a big enough furrow for the seeds to be injected into the ground (3). “Plowing and tillage are major sources of erosion around the world” (2). Plowing and tillage “were key factors behind the Dust Bowl in the 1930s” (2). According to Brad Plumer of The Washington Post says “churning up all that soil can release a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, helping to warm the planet” (2). Also according to Plumer

Many varieties of genetically engineered crops have been designed to decrease the need for chemicals, particularly pesticides. Herbicide-tolerant varieties are among the most widely used type of genetically-modified crop, which enables farmers to use a single herbicide to eradicate weeds rather than rely on a cocktail of pesticides and herbicides. Eliminating weeds in this fashion also decreases the need for soil tillage, which can negatively impact soil ecology. (Ford,

Erosion removes the surface soils, containing most of the organic matter, plant nutrients, and fine soil particles, which help to retain water and nutrients in the root zone where they are available to plants. Thus it affects the productivity of plants. The remaining, the subsoil, tends to be less fertile, less absorbent and less able to retain pesticides, fertilizers, and other plant nutrients. There are over 17,000 soil types recognized worldwide. They vary widely in structure, erodibility, fertility, and ability to produce crops. A generalized soil profile for a humid, temperate climate is showed. When the natural vegetation is cleared for agriculture, soils become exposed to erosion and loss of soil fertility. The removal of the above-ground natural

“ several years ago a new low-cost plough was designed,built, and distributed in areas of southeast asia that commonly use a forked stick weighted down by a rock to till the soil. After a few years it was discovered that the ploughs were not in use-they were rusting away. In the religious beliefs of the inhabitants, metal makes the soil sick…a cross-disciplinary design team, including anthropologists, engineers, biologists, and physiologists, would have