No-till planting

An older style seed drill

Perhaps one of the greatest farming techniques of all time is no-till farming. No-till has many advantages, with very few disadvantages. No-till allows a field to be planted with out disturbing the organic matter already in the field. This allows more nutrients to get to the plant, without purchasing expensive chemicals. It also helps in the prevention of soil erosion, because the roots of the grass and other plants in the field hold the soil while the seed is germinating. However, the downside is that the equipment used to plant in this no-till environment can be very expensive. One of the machines at the heart of the process is called a no-till planter. This machine works with a series of round blades called openers. These openers create a small trench called a vee, this vee is where the seed is dropped. A set of smooth wheels run behind and close the vee, creating the perfect environment for the seed. No-till can be a fairly slow process only running at about 4mph. No-till equipement is available in various different sizes, as shown below.

A Small Planter Meant to be Pulled by an ATV

A Very Large No-Till Planter

One unit of a multi-unit no-till planter.