"Eco-friendly" and "farming" are not terms that urban media typically link together. In fact, most people would be surprised to learn that farmers have proven themselves to be on cutting edge of the green movement, constantly testing new techniques to limit their impact on the environment while continuing to provide a safe, healthy, affordable food supply for the United States and the world. Farmers have always sought to do more with less by growing more crops on less land using less fuel and chemicals, and over the past 30 years in particular they have become incredibly efficient.
Traditionally, farmers have relied on tilling—a method of agitating soil using plows—to aerate the soil, allowing it to catch and keep rainfall better; to clean the soil of weeds; to make the soil more fertile by bringing nutrients to the top; and generally prepare the soil for seeding. Today, many farmers across the United States have turned to conservation tillage, a series of methods that minimize soil disturbance in order to reduce soil erosion.
