Subject: Conventional Till vs. No-Till
Student Objectives:
1. Define Conventional Tillage Farming.
2. Define No-Till Farming.
3. List advantages and disadvantages of conventional tillage farming.
4. List advantages and disadvantages of no-till farming.
Opening Activity/Introduction:
Students will be given 10 pictures each of fields that have used either
conventional tillage practices or no-till. They will have to group the pictures based
on their similarities and explain.
Example descriptions:
-mulch or lack of mulch
-soil texture
-volunteer corn
Teaching the New Objectives:
Definition of terms:
Conventional Tillage – involves disking, plowing and other methods of tilling
up crop residue left behind after harvest.
No-Till – way of growing crops from year to year without disturbing the soil
through tillage.
List Advantages and Disadvantages of Conventional Tillage:
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
incorporates mulch into the soil
encourages soil erosion
suitable for poorly drained soils
high fuel & labor costs
high soil moisture loss
destroys soil structure
compacts wet soil
unintentionally “replants” scattered
seeds from previous year
List Advantages and Disadvantages of No-Tilling:
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
soil erosion control
increased dependence on herbicides
soil moisture conservation
no incorporation of mulch into the soil
minimum fuel & labor costs
slow soil warming on poorly drained
soils
builds soil structure & health
mulch breaks impact of rain on surface
soil
Closing Activity:
Students will select the preferred method tillage method for a farming
operation based on the discussion of conventional tillage and no-tillage farming.
Materials:
10 pictures of conventionally tilled fields
10 pictures of no-tilled fields.
Sources:
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/tillage/advdisadv