While walking our winter pea field and observing what was going on around me, I saw this site and thought, --there is a lesson here! The pic shows two fields that have been farmed very differently.
The field in the upper portion of the picture has been direct seeded for 20+ years. The last three years it has been in a ULD system. Roundup has been used extensively on the property over the years, along with a Valor application in the fall of a fallow year. Problem weeds are few and far between, even in a low moisture, high temperature year like 2015. Both of these fields were in spring wheat. The upper field is currently seeded to Austrian Winter Peas. They were dormant seeded in late November and are looking good.
The field in the lower portion of the picture has been conventionally tilled it's entire life, using very little Roundup, and no Valor in the fallow year. The field has a long history of a wheat/fallow rotation with an occasional spring barley/wheat crop thrown in. This field has a heavy infestation of Russian Thistle and cheatgrass that has set seed. It will be tilled, and a larger seed bank will be available to grow in future years.
Reducing tillage reduces weed competition, and promotes better soil structure. Both of these "pluses" save water for crop use. It is a very difficult concept for many seasoned farmers to get their mind around. The rapid reduction in our weed competition was a surprise to us as we moved from high disturbance no-till, to ULD (ultra low disturbance) no-till.
Dramatic contrast to be sure.
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