Editor’s Note: With the latest Farm Bill currently making its way through Congress, this is a good time to take a look back at an article that appeared 19 years ago in No-Till Farmer. Veteran no-tiller Ray McCormick’s message is as true today as it was during the summer of 2007.

Since the 1980s, Ray McCormick has seen that the major benefits of no-till include saving fuel, curbing erosion, building soil organic matter, boosting wildlife numbers and protecting the environment for future generations.

As a result, the Vincennes, Ind., grower is convinced that the new Farm Bill should reward farmers who adopt long-term continuous no-till on all of their tillable ground. In fact, his radical idea calls for doubling government subsidy payments for motivated growers who want to help solve the energy crisis while protecting the environment.

More Continuous No-Till Needed

Plus, this revolutionary idea would help overcome concerns dealing with harmful emissions of greenhouse gases and global warming. But most importantly, it would offer bigger subsidies in exchange for farmers adopting environmentally-friendly cropping practices, says McCormick, who co-authored the Farm Bill alternative with conservationist and ag technology consultant Lisa Holscher of Wheatland, Ind., and now Director of Indiana’s Conservation Cropping Systems group.

“The goal of this idea is to encourage the widespread adoption of no-till,” says McCormick, who has been 100% no-till for a number of years with 1,500 acres of corn, wheat and soybeans, including double-crop beans.

“At a minimum, this concept should triple the existing no-till acreage from 23-69% of U.S. farmland.” This additional 124.8 million acres of no-till would result in a significant reduction in fuel needs, change the nation’s currently inefficient carbon footprint and protect the country’s natural resources.

Lead the World in Climate Change

“More importantly, this concept would elevate the U.S. to the worldwide leader role in positively effecting global climate change.”

McCormick and Holscher believe a simple swap of government subsidy dollars for environmental protection would lead to valuable Farm Bill partnerships with federal agencies.

Just as importantly, it would overcome current Farm Bill objections by consumers, politicians, world trade negotiators and environmentalists. Many of these detractors object to the current ag program that pits a lack of environmental trade-offs against direct, counter-cyclical and loan deficiency payment programs to farmers.

The proposal details major cost-saving and environmental benefits with the adoption of no-till especially in regard to carbon sequestration, energy reduction, environmental impact and ag trade.

Ask McCormick if the concept will work and he’ll share how it’s already being done on a small scale in many areas. Numerous watershed projects have documented that no-till is among the most cost-effective means of improving the environment.

Unlike with the burning of more expensive, imported fossil fuels, McCormick says, the release of soil-bound carbon into the atmosphere and the depletion of soil organic carbon can be turned around.

“Evidence from long-term experiments suggests that carbon losses due to oxidation and erosion can be reversed with soil management practices such as no-till,” he says. “These practices minimize soil disturbance and optimize plant yield through appropriate fertilization.”

Carbon Sequestration Only Works with No-Till

McCormick adds that the only practical cropland stabilization of carbon occurs with no-till, which also leads to a buildup of soil organic matter. Besides saving tremendous amounts of fuel, no-till also sharply reduces harmful fossil fuel emissions.

The protective crop residue layer that accompanies continuous no-till helps reduce erosion, makes more effective use of available moisture, leads to higher wildlife numbers and offers a very cost-effective way to help improve the environment.

McCormick is convinced that switching more acres to continuous no-till is the best way to provide a higher quality environment for generations to come.

“We can have a huge impact,” he says. “We’ll effect global change with a grassroots no-till solution.