This is how our Carroll county soils react to tillage.
Here's why we haven't chissled/disked/etc on our farms for over 15 years.
This plowed sidehill shows exposed subsoil -- green/orange soil -- no topsoil.
Tilled soybean stubble
Tilled cornstalk field
Tilled soybean stubble
Note the grass strip in the sidehill really does no good for erosion prevention.
Tilled cornstalks
This water is coming from a 6 acre tilled sidehill on next picture below
20 year No-Till on left - fall subsoiled bean stubble on right
The whole key to long term No-Till healing -- nightcrawlers
How we plant it
The land has been harmed by over 100 years of tillage on our fields so No-Till won't heal it over-night but may take a lifetime on many of them.
On most of them we have to mechanically repair the sidehills.
Healing the soil
A long term (15 or more years) No-Till field is like a sponge with very little compaction and lots of air pockets for aeration and water infiltration.
A tilled field is a flattened out sponge with lots of compaction and few air pockets for aeration and water infiltration.
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