A Menace to National Welfare Reconsidered, Part 2: Reviewing Tillage

The march of time proceeds past familiar annual milestones like the Ides of March, St. Patrick’s Day, and the first day of Spring (Tracey, March 15, 2022; Gershon, March 16, 2018; O’Hagan, March 17, 2015; Moss, 1995; Farmer’s Almanac, March 19, 2024; Associated Press, March 19, 2024). Farm Bill reauthorization’s continued failure to launch brings to mind an old Irish proverb: “You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind” (Farrelly, March 18, 2024; Clayton, March 19, 2024; Abbott, March 18, 2024). Previously we reviewed the costs of soil erosion as part of a series on the benefits of soil conservation and the costs of erosion (farmdoc daily, March 14, 2024). Today’s article reviews tillage.