Word: plowed
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...year era of the great steel plow, central instrument of American abundance and strength, is ending in an astonishing revolution now sweeping through Maryland and on to the Illinois bottomlands and the high hills of Oregon where corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton are grown. The upheaval in the long, quiet reaches of U.S. farmland has gone largely unnoticed in the din of presidential politics, the cries of rage from the torn inner cities, and the turmoil abroad. But it may mean as much to this country as all the other changes taking place around the world -- or even more...
...central tenet is retiring the old moldboard plow, which laid the earth open to wind and water erosion. Instead farmers leave residue from the previous year's crops in place to hold soil and moisture, then scratch or chisel in seeds, which sprout through the decomposing residue. Crop rotation is used to break insect cycles. Weeds are targeted, controlled by new herbicides that quickly break down and vanish. In this rare and happy story that emerges from centuries of anguished agriculture practices and policies, there is the touch of God's hand soothing the earth and nudging it back...
...asked. Sarver was born again. On a bus home from Kinsella's school he began to figure how he would convert to no-till farming field by field. He did not have enough money to phase in the new methods so he went cold turkey, sold his seven-bottom plow and the larger of his two tractors, a 225-h.p. four-wheel-drive John Deere. He used to make eight trips each season across his fields to plow, disk (two or three times), plant, cultivate, spray and harvest. Now he makes four trips -- to plant, spray (twice) and harvest -- saving...
When something new like this is born, something else must die. The self- scouring polished-steel moldboard plow is not going to expire totally. But history's chapter of giants in the earth with their plows is closing. It has been a glorious story, mistakes...
...estimates, an additional 5.9 million sq km (2.3 million sq. mi.) of land will have to be turned over to farming, roads and urban uses. This is almost equivalent to the total size of protected natural areas on earth today. Most good agricultural land is already under plow, and each year desertification, improper irrigation and overuse take millions of acres out of production. Farms may increase in productivity, but it will be much harder to match the gains of the past, and whether agricultural output can keep pace with population is an open question...