Conservation tillage

Conservation tillage is a special way of farming that helps to take care of the environment. When farmers want to plant crops, they usually use a big machine that digs up the dirt to make it softer for the seeds to grow. This is called plowing.

However, plowing can be really hard on the soil and the environment. It can cause the dirt to erode (wash away), which means the farmer loses the nutrient-rich topsoil that plants need to grow. Plowing can also release carbon dioxide into the air, which adds to climate change.

Conservation tillage is a different way of farming that tries to avoid these problems. Instead of plowing, farmers only dig a small hole in the ground for each tiny seed. This leaves most of the soil unturned, and helps to keep it in place. It also helps to keep carbon in the soil, which is good for the environment.

Sometimes, farmers might also use special cover crops (plants that grow in between the main crop) to hold the soil in place and add extra nutrients to the soil. With conservation tillage, farmers can grow healthy crops without harming the environment.