Seeking a "rare good-news story in these depressing times for Planet Earth?" Dana Milbank has one for you—the impending extinction of the plow, that tried-and-true farming tool that has been "the essential tool of human survival" over the millennia, Milbank writes for the Washington Post. That's because farmers are flocking to no-till farming, which bucks the long-held trend of loosening soil to prep it for planting. Critics of regular tilling say that process has become an "ecological disaster," annihilating living matter from the soil and worsening erosion and runoff. No-till farming, however, doesn't disturb the soil—instead, it uses special gear to insert seeds directly into the ground.
By going the no-till route, farmers have found they're able to keep their labor costs lower, buy less fertilizer and diesel fuel, and reap higher crop yields and, hence, profits. Plus, Milbank argues, no-till farming, along with other "regenerative" agricultural practices, has helped restore soil health and boost biodiversity. And it's a movement that's taking hold: In 1973, only 2% of US croplands were maintained used the no-till method; now, nearly 40% of croplands use no-till, while another 35% use reduced tillage. Milbank isn't sure why more farms haven't yet jumped on the regenerative-agri bandwagon, though he concedes that the cost of entry can be a barrier. Still, he thinks it's the way of the future for farming. "Farmers would save untold billions of dollars in fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides—and, along the way, they just might save the planet," he writes. Read the full op-ed. (More farming stories.)
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