No-Till Seeding

We need to take extra care of our soil (and water) resources, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because we have cattle at different phases of their life cycle grazing on the ranch at any given time! From our herd of mama cows and breeding stock bulls, to the calves who are old enough now to munch on forages and our steers that are being finished. Not to mention the rest of the critters, wildlife and livestock, that call the ranch home!

So we are always looking ahead to “what can we do better!”  One of our land management practices, no-till seeding, is a fantastic tool for adding more native, perennial grasses to our pastures.

No-till seeding uses a drill to “inject” seed into the ground. We love that it is only a single pass with the tractor (less fossil fuel!) versus traditional planting with multiple pieces of equipment. This also means less negative impact on the soil, and we are preserving the soil structure due to not “digging into the soil” with a till.

WHY WE LOVE IT

Protect Soil Structure: Plow tilling can cause soil erosion risk. No-till leaves the surface residue, which protects the soil from wind and water, preventing topsoil loss and reducing nutrient runoff.

Improved Water Retention: Undisturbed soil maintains a better structure with higher organic matter, which increases its water-holding capacity. This makes pastures more resilient during droughts.

Enhanced Biodiversity: Avoiding the plow preserves the habitats of beneficial microorganisms, fungi, and insects like earthworms and ground beetles, which naturally aerate the soil and cycle nutrients.

Climate Change Mitigation: No-till sequesters carbon in the soil rather than releasing it as CO2 into the atmosphere through plowing.