The Delaware County No-Till Initiative
Cerosaletti,* P.E.1, Dewing, D.R.1, Kiraly, M.K.1
1 Extension Educators, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County (CCEDC), Hamden, New York 13820
Abstract:
Need: Adoption of no-till planting methods has been slow in the southern tier region of New York
State, including Delaware County, due to challenging soil types and inability of small farms to
afford modern no-till planting equipment. Rising fuel costs, dwindling labor forces and the
U.S. Diesel Fuel Retail Price 1994 - 2008 need to protect soil and water resources creates incentive to consider this technology. In 2006
Cents per Gallon Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County (CCEDC) conducted farmer listening
500
400 sessions and surveys to determine interest in no-till production methods and interest in renting
300 modern no-till equipment. Feedback from these assessments indicated a high degree of
200
100 interest. As a result CCEDC developed the Delaware County No-Till Initiative, a two pronged
0 program that combines educational programming with access to no-till equipment. The no-till
Mar-94
Mar-96
Mar-98
Mar-00
Mar-02
Mar-04
Mar-06
Mar-08
educational efforts combine written, workshop and field day educational forums to help farmers
Program:
Source: Energy Information Administration adopt no-till techniques successfully, with an emphasis on farmer to farmer learning. To spur
adoption of no-till methods and limit farmers’ risk in trying no-till, CCEDC also secured grant
High Fuel Prices funding to provide farmers rental access to new no-till corn planting and seeding equipment
through a local custom service provider. In 2007, the first year of the initiative, 15 farmers tried
• Farmers surveyed to determine interest in renting no-till equipment. no-till planting for the first time on 500 acres, a 250% increase in the number of farms using
no-till in the county. Farmer satisfaction was high, and for 2008 program sign up has doubled
Soil Loss; Water Quality • CCEDC obtains grant funds to sponsor educational efforts and to nearly 30 farmers and 1000 acres.
provide access to modern no-till equipment.
• CCEDC contracts with local custom operator to rent modern no-till
equipment to Delaware County farmers. Two corn planters and one
grain drill/seeder are available through program.
Outdated Equipment
• Rental rate is cost shared through grants for five years to limit
farmers’ risk in adopting no-till.
Impact:
• CCEDC coordinates farmer sign up for program. Custom operator • In 2007 15 farmers adopted no-till for the first time, a 250%
coordinates scheduling, moving and maintaining machinery. increase in the number of farms using no-till in the county.
Small farms; Limited resources • Semi annual program review and planning meetings between • In 2008, 30 farmers have participated in the program. 553
CCEDC and custom operator are held to refine program. acres of no-till corn were planted, a 74% increase from 2007.
Factors leading to interest in no-till and creation of Initiative Total program acreage is at 690 acres with more plantings
• CCEDC implements educational and technical support to help
• Increasing fuel prices farmers adopt no-till successfully. slated.
• Outdated equipment on small farms that can’t justify investing in • Demand for no-till/zone till has increased such that a second
new equipment custom operator is offering complete custom no-till/zone till corn
planting services.
• Small family farms with less labor to complete cropping tasks
• Three larger farms in the county have or are contemplating
• 2006 flood increases awareness of soil erosion in conventional till purchase of their own no-till/zone till equipment in 2008.
• Little access to no-till equipment and experience with no-till methods • A modeling study conducted by USDA-ARS and CCEDC
• A few early adopters demonstrate that it can be done in our soils predicted that no-till corn production could reduce sediment
and climate. bound phosphorus losses nearly 60 lbs per acre compared to
Field Days; conventional tillage on a typical Delaware County farm.
• County is home to sensitive watersheds Soil health, See the crops
Field Days
Farmer to Farmer exchange
Reduced tillage;
Increased cover;
New York Healthy Soils.
=
State Reduced runoff;
Reduced erosion.
No-till corn
1st year No-till
Workshops; corn in killed sod
Machinery operation
Technical support;
Planting and Pest management
Delaware County
No-till alfalfa, grass and
oat seeding No-till corn into rolled winter
rye cover crop demonstration