The new conventional way to seed is no-till
Farmers continue to adopt no-till (zero till) in Alberta. The 2006 Census of Agriculture shows that 27% of farmers no-till 48% of the annually cropped acres. The 2001 data had 16.5% of farmers no-tilling 27% of the annually seeded acres. No-till acres have gone from about 5 million in 2001 to nearly 9 million in 2006.
26% of farmers retain most of the crop residue on the surface (minimum tillage) on 28% of the annually cropped acres (5.2 million acres)
47% of farmers incorporate most of the crop residue on about 24% of the annually cropped acres (4.6 million) acres).
Click on the pdf attachment to see graphs of the seeding data, which includes 2006 data on a municipal (county) level.
Definitions for no-till, zero tillage and direct seeding vary but here is what we use at Reduced Tillage LINKAGES:
In zero tillage or no-till, planting is the only operation that disturbs the soil. It is similar to low disturbance direct seeding. Minimum tillage is similar to high disturbance direct seeding. Conventional seeding refers to multiple tillage passes prior to seeding. Reduced tillage refers to minimum tillage, direct seeding and zero tillage.
In direct seeding, pre-seeding tillage is eliminated and residue remains anchored in the soil. Low disturbance direct seeding disturbs less than 40% of the soil surface. High disturbance direct seeding disturbs more than 40% of the soil surface. Fall knifed-in fertilizer or harrowing is acceptable.
