Positive Effects of Conservation Tillage
For centuries farmers have used plowing as a tool for weed control, and
in some cases to promote plant growth. At first man had used animals to pull
plows and other equipment, with the invention of the tractor work that would
normally be done with animals could be done more easily and quickly. Although
plowing has been a common and widely used tool for managing weed control,
there are many negative impacts associated with this method. Conservation
tillage is a method where some of crop residues, if not all of crop residues,
are left on the surface of the soil. Conservation tillage methods have become
popular in many areas around the world, and while many of the effects of
conservation tillage are still under research, many farmers have found that
it helps to not only protect the health of their fields, but also that it
saves both time and money.
Research shows that conservation tillage has many beneficial effects
such as the reduction of soil compaction, increases in biodiversity, higher
crop yields, decreases in erosion, reductions in fuel requirements and other
capital inputs for machinery, and up to a seventy percent reduction of preharvest
labor. Researchers are not the only ones that are noticing that
conservation tillage has a promising future which combines low labor
requirements with low erosion rates (Giere, 2002). In America, eighteen
percent of crop fields are managed using conservation tillage methods, and in
Paraguay ninety percent of fields are managed with conservation tillage
methods (Karasov, 2002). Though the percent of conservation tillage in the
United States may not be as high as other areas in the world, it is projected
that nearly eighty ...
... middle of paper ...
...2004, October). To Plow or Not To Plow: Balancing Slug Populations
with Environmental Concerns and Soil Health. Agricultural Research, 16-
17.
Durham, S. (2003, March). Drought Survival with Conservation Tillage.
Agricultural Research, 22.
Giere, J.P., Johnson, K.M., & Perkins, J.H. (1980). A Closer Look at No-Till
Farming. Environment, 22(6), 15-20, 37-40
Karasov, C. (2002, February). Spare the Plow, Save the Soil. Environmental
Health Perspectives, 22(2), A75
Machado, A.F.L., Jakelaitis, A., Ferrriera, et al.(2005). Population Dynamics
of Weeds in No-Tillage and Conventional Crop Systems. Journal of
Environmental Science and Health, B40, 119-128.
Runion, S.B., Prior, S.A., Reeves, D.W., et al.(2004). Microbial Responses to
Wheel Traffic in Conventional and No-Tillage Systems. Communications in
Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 35, 2891-2903.
From 1865 to 1900, production of crops increased, and prices dropped. (Document A) These crops were shipped east, where they were eaten and exported to other countries. This was due to technology, but government policy caused economic conditions in the west barely improved as a result. In fact, despite the success many farmers experienced, many in the west still struggled to put food on the table.
a basis of production, and the only way to operate large farms at the time,
and they make sure people are not treated unfairly in their society and in their communities and
“Farming techniques such as strip cropping, terracing, crop rotation, contour plowing, and cover crops were advocated.” ("About the Dust Bowl")These new techniques were advocated in order to try and prevent more dust from getting picked up by wind and starting the dust storm again. “But for years, farmers had plowed the soil too fine, and they contributed to the creation of the Dust Bowl.”(Ganzel) This was a big mistake farmers had made. This was one of the huge factors in contributing to the Dust Bowl. This has definitely changed now. “Now, many farmers are learning how to raise crops without tilling their fields at all. (Ganzel) Farmers now not tilling their fields at all is a new farming
Fishing, using natural curves in trees to make boomerangs, use ash and bark infusions to treat skin disorders and sores, used materials such as fish hooks made from shells and the hunting and gathering of mud crabs, snakes and lizards.
The necessity for machinery such as tractors and possibly diet feeders as well as grain stores or silos add to fixed costs on the farm
Grazing Cattle as Being Less Efficient than Growing Crops "The beef in just one Big Mac represents enough wheat to make five loaves of bread. " This just shows that growing wheat is more efficient than grazing cattle as the five loaves lasts, on average for a family of four, about three weeks whereas a Big Mac only lasts one person a matter of ten minutes, if that! In this essay I am going to discuss whether or not grazing cattle is less efficient than growing crops. There are many perspectives to this argument. From a biologists point of view, plant foods are far more energy efficient than animal products because when you eat meat, a vast amount of energy is lost through the food chains, whereas when you eat plant foods such as wheat, no energy is previously lost because plants are the producers of the food chains.
technology. When they wanted to plant or to crush the seeds that they have gathered they used a
middle of paper ... ... Katsvairo, Tawainga W., David L. Wright, Jim J. Marois, and Pawel P. Wiatrak. "Making the Transition from Conventional to Organic Farming Using Conservation Tillage in Florida. " University of Florida IFAS Extension.
perceived to be beneficial to society. In the case of working in fields, people are put to work and
.... Keeping them alive is the main goal and if you can try your hardest to do that, this job will pay off and you will be incredibly satisfied with the career path you have chosen.
... individuals may understand and spread the word of the horrific conditions the animals are forced to be a part of on factory farms.
crop. We spread slurry from the sheep shed and cattle shed and fertilisers such as 10-10-20,
This is a form of rotational grazing. It is considered the best method of grazing. It involves the farmer dividing grazing areas into 20-25 paddocks. The paddocks depend on the size of our herd. Every day cows will graze one paddock. This method is based on the idea that each tiller has three actively growing leaves at an...