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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Tillage and energy survey. Report of the Agricultural Energy Advisory Committee

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6784243

Changes in corn and soybean tillage practices have been made since 1970 by 45.5% of Illinois farmers. The major changes in tillage practices of these farmers have been more chisel plowing and field cultivating along with wider use of herbicides while amounts of moldboard plowing and crop cultivating have been reduced. Most farmers who have changed practices listed more than one reason for changing. The major reason expressed by those farmers not changing practices was concern that weed problems would develop. Larger farmers in the State have been more likely to change practices than farmers with 250 acres or less of cropland. The larger farmers are using chisel plows rather than moldboard plowing for larger percentages of their corn and soybean acres and they tend to plow deeper than smaller farmers. Diesel tractors were generally preferred for plowing, field cultivating, herbicide incorporation and disking. Gasoline tractors were preferred for planting and rotary hoeing. Less than half of the farms under 250 acres of cropland reported that diesel tractors were used. Larger farms utilized diesel tractors on more than 9 out of 10 farms. Less than one farm in every 25 reported the use of LPG tractors.

Research Organization:
Illinois Dept. of Business and Economic Development, Springfield (USA). Div. of Energy
OSTI ID:
6784243
Report Number(s):
NP-23539
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English