My father and I rather inadvertently began zero tilling in 1978. That year we purchased Haybuster 1206 double disc drills. These were zero tillage drills, but the main attraction they held for my father was the individual depth control that was incorporated into each opener. He felt that this would be an improvement over previous seeding implements we had used, particularly for small seeded such as canola that needed to be sown shallowly.

Our first zero tillage crop was fall rye planted in the autumn of 1978. In the spring of 1979 we began experimenting with spring-sown cereal crops and then started including broadleaf crops in our no till system. By 1983 our entire farm was in a zero tillage system.

Our history in zero tillage was certainly not typical to the area. Between 1977 and1979 there were quite a number of Haybuster 1206 drills purchased in our area. The agricultural economy was strong and many farmers in the area had the financial resources to experiment with a concept that obviously had a lot of appeal. A couple of years later we were the only ones still zero tilling.

The difference between us and the other early adapters was the fact that initially we had fairly positive results. The opposite was true for most of the others in our area. Our positive reinforcement was probably more because of luck than good management. Due to dry conditions, we saw somewhat higher yields, with low input costs. This was excluding our glyphosate costs.

I feel that producers in our area were disappointed in zero tillage for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because of the high cost of glyphosate, a lot of producers opted to plant zero tillage crops on fields that has a bad quack grass problem. This was so that they controlled quack grass as well as annual weeds at the time of spring burn off treatment. As well, following the advice for good quack grass control, they waited until there was significant growth before they sprayed. Usually a great deal of moisture and nutrients had been used up by this time. Because of this delay these crops were planted later than the optimum date. A lot of these early zero tillage crops were nutrient deficient. At the time there were no recognized ways of applying nutrients, particularly nitrogen, other than

with the seed. Some broadcasting was being done but farmers were uncomfortable with leaving fertilizer on the soil surface. Needless to say, the majority of zero tillage crops in the area were mediocre. Soon after, there were a lot of Haybuster 1206 drills for sale.

A couple of events solidified our adoption of zero tillage. The last year we had summer fallow was 1981. Due to strong winds at seeding time that year we were forced to do some "emergency" tillage on the summer fallow to reduce wind erosion. That same day that I was scrambling to stop the erosion, my father, was zero tillage seeding an adjacent field. The field had excellent moisture and no erosion whatsoever.

Our crop in 1984 also convinced us that zero tillage was the best system for us. We had an extremely dry year with only one significant rainfall in mid summer. We received three inches of precipitation in a two hour period. On our farm, which was entirely zero tillage by then, a large percentage of that rainfall infiltrated into the soil. This was not the case on more conventionally prepared soils. Because of this, and the increased moisture stored from spring snow melt, our yields were 30-40% better than neighboring fields.

In 1986 we wavered from our strictly zero-tillage system. Commodity prices were extremely low while glyphosate prices were still relatively high. I switched from a disc drill to an air how drill that could be fitted with either sweeps or narrow openers and planted a portion of the crop using sweeps to provide the weed control at planting. Several fields were split using the sweeps as compared to narrow openers and glyphosate Based on the somewhat poorer stands, increased weed pressure and lower yields of the crops planted with sweeps, we went back completely to zero tillage the next year and have not wavered since.

During this same period of time we cooperated with a Manitoba Department of Agriculture trial which further convinced us of the economic benefits of zero tillage. The trial ran between 1985 and 1990 and showed an economic advantage to zero tillage despite high glyphosate prices at the time.

I would now like to summarize twenty years of zero tillage with the following points and observations:

1. The most important reason for zero tillage production for me has been profitability. As I make my living for my family and, myself from farming, all other benefits, however important, are secondary.

2. Seed bed quality is one of the most important benefits. The zero tillage seed bed is firm with moisture near the surface. It is protected from wind and water erosion, moisture loss, and extremes of heat and cold. It is also quite resistant to compaction.

3. We farm in an area where lack of moisture is often the most limiting factor for crop production. A farmer can address this most effectively by zero tilling. This improved moisture situation is because of snowcatch, reduced evaporation, reduced runoff and better infiltration into the soil. It provides very effective insurance against drought. Often a zero tillage crop will continue to develop normally through a two or three week period of dry weather where conventional crops slip into drought stressed development, greatly affecting their ultimate yield potential.

4. Zero tillage allows one to farm more intensively with less risk. The benefits of increased fertility or the use of fungicides, for example, are less likely to be reduced by lack of moisture or poor crop establishment.

5. Seed placement and crop establishment are important aspects of zero tillage production. I think it follows that fertilizer application method is less important. There are many ways to get the required nutrients in place. There does not seem to be a superior method, type, or timing for fertilizer application. It just has to be there when the plant needs it.

6. I feel hoedrills are the most reliable seeding machine. We made a disc type machine work for the first eight years of no tillage, but it took a lot of work. A hoedrill works under most conditions in most soil .

7. Trafficability on the field is a huge benefit of zero tillage. Pot holes are less problematic because of better water infiltration and firmness. Equipment is suspended by residue and intact root systems. This often means that you can seed through areas that would require a detour if conventionally farmed. 0ften we can spray the same day after an inch of rain.

8. Diverse rotations really amplify the benefits of zero tillage. I now try to have at least two years between same crops. Alternating between high and low residue crops greatly reduces residue problems. Because of our short growing season we begin seeding as soon as moisture conditions allow us on the land. We begin sowing frost tolerant cereals first. Because of our rotation we are seeding into lower residue broadleaf stubble that warms up sooner and is dryer and more trafficable. In turn, later in the spring, the higher residue cereal stubbles are now dryer and warmer. But they still hold enough moisture for good germination of small seeded broadleaf crops.

9. Winter wheat is again being included in our rotations. Better varieties are again making it attractive. Snow catch provided by seeding into standing stubble reduces the risk of winterkill enough to make winter wheat practical.

In closing, I would like to emphasize a final aspect of zero tillage. It probably allows for a change in lifestyle. Less time is required for implementation of actual farm operations. More time is usually spent in planning, studying, and organizing, but there still seems to be more time for other endeavors, be they personal or business related. Environmentally speaking, I feel that crop production in the northern great plains is in better shape that twenty years ago. Soil quality is improving. C02entering the atmosphere is being reduced because of new tillage systems. We have to be careful of our use of agricultural chemicals, but I feel that if we are careful, the benefits outweigh the risks. The future is still exciting.