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No-till Saves Soil, Builds Future Fertility

Steve Groff farms highly erodible cropland in southeastern Pennsylvania. Not only are many of his fields steep – sloping 3% to 15% on average – but the shale loam topsoil is shallow at only 8-10 inches deep.

While neighboring farmers struggle to hold their soil in place during heavy rainstorms, the water runoff from Groff’s fields is usually clear. The reason: a combination of sustainable farming practices such as no-till, cover cropping and intensive crop rotation.

“I consider myself a sustainable farmer, but don't confuse me with an ‘organic’ farmer,” says Groff, whose 175-acre Cedar Meadow Farm is a showcase of conservation tillage practices. “I'm trying to broaden the definition of sustainability. Some organic farmers aren’t sustainable; some aren’t profitable. I have one qualification for sustainable agriculture: profit.”

Groff and wife Cheri grow vegetables such as tomatoes, pumpkins, and sweet corn as well as alfalfa, field corn, soybeans and small grains. Their typical crop rotation: corn, soybeans, vegetables, corn, with alfalfa inserted in the mix, usually after corn.

When a field is set to go into vegetables, Groff typically seeds a fall cover crop of hairy vetch and rye. In the spring, the cover crop is either killed with a contact herbicide or mechanically mowed or rolled. As the cover crop decomposes, emerging weeds are controlled with a post emergence herbicide. If the cover crop has been mowed, the herbicide also takes care of any regrowth. Late-emerging grasses may require another herbicide application.

Groff believes the cover crop components complement each other through different rooting actions: the fine roots of rye and vetch forming a coureser root texture. “The hairy vetch is very succulent, tends to decompose quickly and releases its nitrogen quickly,” Groff says. “Rye spreads out its release a little longer in the season. “You get 2 different dynamics -- almost like mixing 2 herbicides. We're really confident with the seeding ratio of 30lbs. of rye and 25lbs. of vetch for transplanting our vegetables.”

After more than 15 years of no-till farming practices, Groff is seeing the payoff. Organic matter in his soil is up from 2.7% to 4.3%, with some fields reaching 6%. Tomato yields, which he grows on drip irrigation, often exceed 40 tons an acre. “My soil is my greatest asset, and that residue is my future,” Groff says.