No-till farming grows in popularity

IDAHO FALLS (AP) - This will be Gordon Gallup's 30th season of no-till planting on his 3,000-acre Ririe farm.

Gallup, who grows wheat, barley and alfalfa, said using no-till methods has helped him save money on fuel, water and fertilizer costs.

Using the no-till method, farmers put seed and fertilizer directly into the soil without tilling it first. The topsoil is left undisturbed so that organic matter in the soil remains intact. That organic matter helps keep moisture in the soil, decreasing erosion and the need for irrigation. The organic matter composts naturally, acting as a built-in fertilizer.

But the effectiveness of no-till farming depends on many different factors, such as climate, soil type, crops being grown and how long no-till has been used.

For dryland farms in eastern Idaho that have been using traditional tilling methods, it can take several seasons before no-till begins to show real benefits, which can be discouraging for the farmers.

Although data was not available for eastern Idaho, no-till farming - also called direct seed - appears to be growing in popularity across the U.S. Although the method is not without its critics and concerns, its benefits are attracting more and more farmers each year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates more than 35 percent of farmers who plant the eight major crops - wheat, barley, corn, oats, rice, cotton, soybeans and sorghum - were using no-till methods in 2009, although only about 10 percent used no-till methods full-time.

No-till farming methods increased for four crops in particular - corn, cotton, soybeans and rice - at a median rate of 1.5 percent per year from 2000 to 2007.