No-Till
alternative practice names:
Direct Seeding; Zero Till; Conservation Tillage; Zone Tillage; Residue Management
No-till is a form of conservation tillage that minimizes the disturbance of the soil. It is a one-pass planting system that uses a single piece of equipment to move surface residues (if necessary), open a seed trench, plant the seed, and close the seed trench. This practice has been successfully used in the U.S. for several decades and has gained popularity more recently due to advancements in precision agriculture, herbicides, seed traits, and heavy-duty planters equipped with features like specialized closing wheels, depth bands, and residue removers.
When used, in what regions in the U.S. is the practice found:
Northwest, West, Upper Midwest, Northeast, Southeast
FARM SIZE
When used, typically found on farms of the following sizes:
All Sizes

Practice Benefits
Reduced fuel costs: No-till equipment combines soil preparation and seeding in a single pass, eliminating the need for multiple tillage operations. This approach typically uses two to four gallons less diesel fuel per acre compared to conventional tillage, significantly lowering fuel expenses.
Reduced labor: By minimizing the number of field passes required, no-till reduces labor time and costs associated with soil preparation and planting.
Improved soil structure: No-till minimizes soil disturbance, enhancing soil tilth and structure while preserving soil aggregates. This practice supports improved soil health, water infiltration, and prevents the development of a plow pan, which can restrict root growth in conventional systems.
Increased soil carbon: By reducing soil disturbance, no-till slows the decomposition of organic matter, promoting soil carbon accumulation. Higher soil carbon levels improve the soil’s capacity to retain water and nutrients, benefiting crop growth and resilience.
Reduced yield variability: No-till systems promote better water management and nutrient cycling, leading to more consistent crop yields year after year. Many farms report higher yields under long-term no-till management and greater resilience to extreme weather conditions.
Reduced erosion: Undisturbed soils are less prone to erosion compared to tilled soils, which can lose soil aggregates and become more susceptible to wind and water erosion. In addition, when used in conjunction with cover crops or crop rotations that generate residues (as seen in grain and bean rotations), no-till management will help maintain surface residue that further protects soil from erosion.
Improved drought resistance: The increased organic matter content in no-till soils also enhances water retention, making crops more resilient during dry periods. When used in conjunction with cover crops or crop rotations that generate residues (as seen in grain and bean rotations), no-till management helps retain soil moisture by leaving crop residues on the surface. This reduces evaporation and keeps soils cooler.

Implementation Insights
Site-specific or Farm-specific requirements

Erosion-prone areas: On sloped or highly erodible land, both no-till and strip-till reduce soil disturbance, which helps maintain soil structure and surface residue to help limit erosion by water and wind.
Moisture-conserving regions: No-till and strip-till are highly beneficial in semi-arid or non-irrigated regions where moisture conservation is crucial. By minimizing soil disturbance and leaving residues, no-till and strip-till reduce evaporation and runoff, helping to retain moisture during dry periods.
Soil types: Soil type and field conditions can also impact the success of no-till planting. Wet, clay soils have a harder time sealing, and side wall compaction may restrict root penetration.
Required Capital Expenditures (CapEx)

No-till planter or drill: Most farmers choose to purchase new or used equipment explicitly designed for no-till seeding. In many regions, farmers may also rent no-till drills to experiment with no-till farming on smaller acreages before committing to a full transition. Compared to conventional planters and drills, no-till equipment has several distinct requirements:
Increased down-pressure: Conventional equipment is designed for planting in a well-prepared, "fluffy" seedbed. In contrast, no-till planting involves firmer ground covered with thick residue from previous crops. To penetrate this soil and residue, more down-pressure is needed. This can be achieved by using heavier no-till planters, adding weights to the planters, or utilizing springs, pneumatic, or hydraulic systems that apply downward pressure.
Residue management and cutting: Conventional equipment is intended for planting in bare soil, whereas no-till equipment must ensure the seed reaches the proper depth despite the presence of crop residue. This often involves moving residues to the side or away from the seed trench using row cleaners and adjusting equipment depth settings.
Specialized components: No-till equipment typically includes thicker opening disks, specialized coulters, seed firmers, and spiked or metal closing wheels. These modifications enable the equipment to function effectively in untilled, undisturbed soils.
Required Operational Expenditures (OpEx)

Herbicides: Herbicides are used to control cover crops and weeds in no-till systems; therefore, farmers may need to make an extra pass to either terminate cover crops or control weeds post-emergence.
Equipment maintenance: Equipment maintenance costs are typically higher on a no-till planter. Depending on field conditions, the planter is subject to much more wear and tear than a conventional system. Springs, opening disks, and gauge wheel components are subject to higher wear rates.
Implementation Considerations

Preparation: Farmers transitioning to no-till should begin their preparation a year in advance. Essential steps include fixing nutrient imbalances and drainage concerns (i.e., installing tile drainage) to ensure optimal growing conditions, evenly spreading crop residues the year before to facilitate effective planting, adjusting soil pH to appropriate levels, breaking up any deep compaction layers that may impede root growth, leveling the field to ensure uniform planting and reduce water pooling, and ideally, planting a cover crop to enhance soil structure, organic matter, and nutrient cycling. Beginning no-till farmers often rotate grass fields into corn fields using no-till planters. This seems to ease the transition where this option is available. Although preparing for no-till involves additional time and expense, these steps are crucial for a successful transition and long-term soil health.
Equipment adjustments: Farmers should expect to experiment with different types of row cleaners, closing wheels, and other planter components. Planting equipment will need to be adjusted based on soil types and conditions.
Seed selection: Many no-till soils will initially be poorly drained and cooler than tilled soil, making it important to select seed varieties with good vigor, cold tolerance, and disease resistance to optimize performance under cooler, wetter conditions.
Short-term yield reduction: As soils are “weaned” from tillage, farmers typically experience a yield decline of about 10% for three years. Having the right equipment, adequately preparing the field and soil, and applying additional nitrogen at planting can mitigate yield drag.
Nutrient stratification: Continuous no-till, particularly when fertilizers are surface applied, will result in a higher concentration of non-mobile nutrients (phosphorous and magnesium) on the soil surface. Thus, to supply the necessary nutrients, farmers typically band fertilizer or apply a starter when planting; not all planters or operations are equipped to apply nutrients in this manner.
Manure incorporation: One of the major challenges for dairy farms adopting no-till management is the difficulty in incorporating dry manure solids without disturbing the soil. Applying manure solely on the surface can lead to nutrient losses through ammonia volatilization, thereby reducing nutrient use efficiency. This can be mitigated by either limiting tillage to fields receiving manure or injecting manure below the soil surface.
Cooler spring soils: Farmers may have to delay planting because of lower spring soil temperatures and greater moisture under heavy residue. However, there is evidence that surface residues keep soils warmer during cool evenings, preventing large soil temperature fluctuations. Living cover crops will dry out wet soils faster in the spring, allowing farmers to plant sooner. Growers that are concerned about cold soils may want to slowly transition into no-till by strip-tilling instead, which offers a narrow band of soil warmup where the seed will be where the seed will be planted.
Lack of residue in forage rotation: No-till farming in a dairy forage crop rotation is challenging due to the minimal crop residue left on the soil surface. Because dairy operations harvest all aboveground biomass, soils are left unprotected from erosion during the off-season. Additionally, crop residues support soil microbial activity, which is essential for nutrient cycling and soil health. Benefits like improved soil structure and moisture retention are more difficult to achieve without adequate residue. Farmers must employ alternative strategies, such as planting cover crops or applying manure, to protect the soil and support soil health in no-till systems.
Financial Considerations and Revenue Streams
FEDERAL COST-SHARE PROGRAM
Funding is available for this practice through USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
Related EQIP Practice Standard: Residue and Tillage Management, No-Till (329).
Related CSP Enhancement: No till to reduce soil erosion (E329A), No till to reduce tillage induced particulate matter (E329B), No till to increase plant-available moisture (E329C), No till system to increase soil health and soil organic matter content (E329D), No till to reduce energy (E329E), No-till into green cover crops to improve soil organic matter quantity and quality (E329F).
Notes:
Check with the local NRCS office on payment rates and practice requirements relevant to your location.
To qualify for NRCS no-till incentive programs, a Soil Tillage Intensity Rating (STIR) value of 10 or less is required. STIR is a numerical value calculated using RUSLE2, a computer model that predicts long-term average annual erosion by water.
CARBON CREDITS
This practice is commonly credited in carbon markets. The practice can generate both offset and inset credits.
Notes:
The impact of diverse crop rotations is primarily estimated through scientific modeling in the project and would use farm management information including planting, harvest, tillage, fertilizer, irrigation, and grazing information from the year the change happened and likely 3 years before.
Only new practices are eligible for crediting under most offset and inset programs, though existing conservation practices may increrase the emissions reduction estimates under both offset and inset opportunities.
Offset removals in soils created by this practice typically need to be guaranteed for 50-100 years (see Verra methodology and Climate Action Reserve's Soil Enrichment Protocol). The practice does not necessarily have to be maintained that long, rather conservation practices as a whole need to continue to maintain the soil.
Producers generally contribute to a buffer pool to insure against risks of natural disasters or unintentional reversals of sequestered carbon. Intentional reversals, from intensive tillage or land sales, may require operators to return proceeds from the project.
The length of an inset project is more flexible, determined in agreement with the supply chain partner.
FINANCIAL RESOURCES, TOOLS & CASE STUDIES
Additional Resources
Article: Minimal Soil Disturbance: Conservation Tillage (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Article: No-Till Produces Healthy Plants, Cows & People (No-Till Farmer)
Article: No-Till: The Quiet Revolution (Scientific American)
Book: A Practical Guide to No-Till and Cover Crops in the Mid-Atlantic (SARE)
Video: Green County No-Till Farmer Planter Set-Up Videos (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Webinars: No-Till Farmer Webinars (No-Till Farmer)
Website: Centre for No-Till Agriculture
Website: No-Till Farmer
Website: No-Till on the Plains

Environmental Impacts
REDUCES FARM GREENHOUSE GAS FOOTPRINT
No-till systems require fewer passes over the field compared to conventional tillage, reducing fuel use for tractors and other machinery. This directly lowers carbon dioxide emissions associated with diesel fuel combustion. By minimizing soil disturbance, no-till practices enhance the accumulation of organic matter and carbon in the soil. When soil is left undisturbed, it allows carbon to be stored (sequestered) for longer periods, effectively capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. No-till systems can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by improving soil structure and enhancing microbial health. This promotes more efficient nutrient cycling and reduces conditions (e.g., excessive soil compaction) that typically lead to nitrous oxide release.
IMPROVES WATER QUALITY
No-till farming typically improves water quality by reducing soil erosion, minimizing nutrient runoff, and preventing sediment from entering surface water. The residue left on the soil surface helps protect against erosion and reduces nutrient runoff by maintaining soil structure. However, in dairy rotations where all aboveground biomass is harvested, and no residue remains, these benefits may be diminished, as the absence of residue limits the effectiveness of no-till practices in enhancing water quality; poorly draining soil and surface manure application may exacerbate the problem.
REFerences

Alignment with FARM Program
FARM Environmental Stewardship (ES) V2-V3 Alignment
FARM ES Version 3 includes an optional crop module, allowing users to enter their unique cropping practices including tillage. The optional FARM ES Conservation Practice Questionnaire (CPQ) asks about conservation practices used including no-till.
Contents
We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights.
We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights.
No-till is a form of conservation tillage that minimizes the disturbance of the soil. It is a one-pass planting system that uses a single piece of equipment to move surface residues (if necessary), open a seed trench, plant the seed, and close the seed trench. This practice has been successfully used in the U.S. for several decades and has gained popularity more recently due to advancements in precision agriculture, herbicides, seed traits, and heavy-duty planters equipped with features like specialized closing wheels, depth bands, and residue removers.
Practices and technologies
No-Till
alternative practice name:
Direct Seeding; Zero Till; Conservation Tillage; Zone Tillage; Residue Management