AS EARLY AS THE MID-1960's,

concerns about erosion. time spent in field work and increasing energy costs had moved a small number of Manitoba and North Dakota farmers to try direct seeding a crop into the standing stubble from the previous year. Results were less than exciting because herbicides were not available to do a good job of weed control and available seeding equipment did not do a very good job.

As herbicides improved (most notably as Roundup became available). it was possible to control the weeds without tillage. Adaptations of standard model disc drills with the addition of a third courter in front to cut through the trash allowed for placement of the seed. By about 1975, zero till pioneers like Manitobans Jim McCutcheon at Homewood and Brian Harvey at Durban and North Dakotans Bob Nowatski at Langdon and Luther Bernston at Adams had become serious about converting to zero tillage. Their farms gradually changed over to no-till production as they learned more about the new management style. Efforts by these and many other farmers to make zero till work included many hours in the farm shop adapting and readapting seeding equipment.

The first zero till work at the University of Manitoba took place in 1969 when Chipman Chemical Company funded research on plots at six different sites on a wide range of soil types. The idea was to demonstrate the basics of zero till crop production. About the same time? early work at North Dakota State University's Cassleton station focused on energy costs and showed that no-till offered significantly lower costs of production due mainly to fewer tractor hours.

The objective of the no-till pioneers was to place seed and fertilizer in the ground with absolutely no soil disturbance. They soon found this was virtually impossible. As new equipment became available - in many cases equipment designed specifically for zero till farming. and as farmers' understanding of zero till farming matured. their objective moved from one of NO SOIL DISTURBANCE to a more practical MINIMUM SOIL DISTURBANCE.

The advantages of zero tillage have been demonstrated over two decades of continuous no-till cropping on some farms. Advantages in erosion prevention. moisture management. and reduced fuel costs have gained in importance through the 1980 s and it is apparent they will be even more significant in the 1990 s.

In 1979, this IHC 620 drill of Jim McCutcheon's was modified by adding a cutting coulter in front of the regular double disc opener. No-till farmers have led the way in drill design.