Pilot; I' m used to looking after vineyards and orchards, so no till is an easier approach. I' ve heard of the same with forage crops and minimal tillage with corn. The more you till you create hardpan with plows, compact the soil and expose the soil organic matter for quicker decomposition (ie. you free up and use nutrients quicker). You want to build organic matter to improve soil texture and protect the microflora.

Part of the Kyoto agreement and one of the actions that the U.S. has agreed to (not as part of the Kyoto agreement but on their own) is to expand the use of minimal tillage agriculture to sequester carbon dioxide in the soil as organic matter.

Dan O.