Study shows no-till farming in Pennsylvania is popular

May 27, 2015

Report completed by Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance

A new report shows that farmers in Pennsylvania are conscious about soil and water health, and have adopted many conservation methods of farming to ensure both resources stay as healthy as possible.

The study, “Pennsylvania Farmers’ No-Till and Best Management Practices” was conducted by the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance and funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

The study looked at 497 farmers in the state, and their no-till and best management practices. The farmers also attended Cooperative Extension seminars, meetings and other agricultural events.

Watering can

The report included 10 conclusions after their research, including:

Farmers understand the potential drawbacks of no-till farming, but think the benefits outweigh the costs and remain committed to it.
Some farmers think agriculture is being blamed for what’s going on in the Chesapeake Bay and feel their efforts for environmental protection aren’t being acknowledged.
The age of farmers in Pennsylvania is similar to the US national average. Farmers are getting older and the younger generation has fewer people going into agriculture as a career.

In addition, the study also provided recommendations going forward, including:

Raising awareness about the need of local conservation efforts.
Provide information to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation about the work farmers do to protect the Bay.

“This report confirms the good work of Pennsylvania’s agriculturalists as stewards of our natural resources,” said Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.

Tell us your thoughts about the findings in Pennsylvania’s no-till report. Are you a farmer who participated in the study? Do you currently practice no-till farming? Is it something you would consider?

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.