*5.2.2 No-till*

No-till farming is extremely effective at helping soil health in multiple different ways. With this method, only the soil surrounding the seed trench is tilled by the row crop planter. No additional tillage operations are performed. Besides being extremely cost effective in fuel consumption, no-till operations have very quick positive results, when compared to other methods. In as short as 2–5 years, soil compaction will naturally be reduced in the topsoil, as microorganisms and organic material increase and expand in the soil. The increased biomass will have a longer lasting effect, as the crushing strength of the soil will be dramatically increased. In clay soils, these results may be more pronounced. Compacted clay soils create the tightest restriction of all soil types. Allowing for root penetration and added biomass expands clay soil until it is much less compactable. With the no-till method, the higher vegetative density alone can help absorb impact from smaller implements. With the proper planting equipment, the no-till method is a very simple and effective method for reducing and reversing soil compaction [49].
