History in the Remaking: The Roots of (Two) Environmental Dissasters
added 12/21/09
by Jaime Richardson and Rosemary Fifield
Deep plowing—the concept of turning soil completely over in order to bury plant residues—was largely a development of the late 18th century, starting with Thomas Jefferson’s design for a moldboard plow. John Deere introduced the manufactured steel plow in 1837, and the addition of steam, gasoline, and, eventually, diesel-powered tractors contributed to the wide-spread adoption of plowing as general agricultural practice.
By the 1930s, extensive plowing in America’s Great Plains states had destroyed the deeply rooted prairie grasses that kept topsoil in place during droughts and high winds. Following a drought which began in 1931, dirt storms severe enough to destroy tender young plantings of wheat began to occur in Oklahoma. Immense dirt storms in the mid-30s, which came to be referred to as the Dust Bowl, caused severe agricultural and ecological damage, destroying 100 million acres of formerly rich farmland in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and South Dakota. In May of 1934, black clouds of pulverized topsoil blew eastward to darken New England skies before settling on ships 300 miles out to sea.
No-till farming was re-introduced in the 1940s as a result of the Dust Bowl disaster. No-till encourages farmers to minimize soil disruption by leaving crop residue on the fields after harvest and planting through it in the spring. The post-World War II introduction of 2,4-D and related herbicides made this possible, because the chemicals killed everything in their path to provide the weed-free seedbed the farmer needed. Still, how could a farmer manage the weeds that emerged after the crop had sprouted? Chemical companies went to work to design crops that would survive the application of herbicides meant to kill everything else. The result: the introduction of genetically modified food crops.
No-till remains a challenge for organic farmers, who eschew the use of herbicides and genetically modified plants. According to a number of sources, complete avoidance of tilling is not yet feasible for the organic farmer, but with the use of a roller-crimper designed by the Rodale Institute a few years ago, it is coming closer. The roller-crimper mechanically kills cover crops such as rye or vetch to produce a living-mulch mat that not only provides protection from soil erosion while conserving soil organic matter and quality but, hopefully, will act as an effective barrier against emerging weeds.
What Do You Think?
Have some thoughts about this article? We’d love to hear from you! Please email us your suggestion or question. Want to sign up for the email version of the Co-op News? Join our list!
