No-Till Methods Boost Soil Health in Pennsylvania

By Blake Jackson

Amish and Mennonite tobacco farmers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, are adopting no-till planting practices to improve soil health and reduce erosion. With the help of Penn State Extension, new machinery has been developed that allows these farmers to cultivate tobacco with minimal soil disturbance, supporting more sustainable farming methods.

The rolling hills of South Central Pennsylvania make cropland particularly vulnerable to soil erosion and degradation. Continuous no-till crop production has proven to be an effective solution. While these practices were once slow to gain traction, many Plain farmers are now using no-till techniques for corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and other forage crops. There is also growing interest in applying no-till methods to tobacco and vegetable production.

Farm conservation plans, required for all Pennsylvania farms, increasingly recommend no-till practices to reduce soil and nutrient loss. Much of Central Pennsylvania’s farmland lies within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, where meeting water quality standards is a high priority.

Tobacco remains an important cash crop, with roughly 9,000 acres cultivated annually in Pennsylvania, primarily by Amish and Mennonite farms. Each acre can generate up to $5,000 in gross income, offering a crucial financial boost, especially amid low milk prices. Overall, tobacco production contributes around $35-40 million to local farms and families.

Despite the crop’s economic importance, machinery for no-till tobacco and vegetable planting is limited. In collaboration with the Lancaster County Conservation District, some grant funding, and a local Amish workshop, a 1-row, horse-drawn no-till transplanter was developed in 2015.

Its effectiveness quickly gained attention within the Plain community, and about 25 farms tested one to two acres of no-till tobacco that spring.

The success of the initial trials sparked wider adoption. By spring 2017, five additional machines were constructed and rented for no-till planting, with more than 200 acres of tobacco produced using this method.

Concerns over yield and quality have not been an issue, suggesting that no-till transplanting is likely to become a lasting practice among Amish and Mennonite farmers in the Susquehanna Valley.

For more details and to view the no-till planter in action, Penn State Extension provides a video demonstration online.

Photo Credit: istock-infrontphoto