The majority of no-till farming in the US depends on herbicides, which devastate soil life.
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The majority of no-till farming in the US depends on herbicides, which devastate soil life.
May 8, 2025
A farmer harvests organic dandelion greens in Washington State. (Photo credit: Thomas Barwick, Getty Images)
I sat down to write this piece after a five-inch April snowstorm gave our newly planted wheat fields their first drink of the season. Wheat is one of five crops we raise on our farm just outside Belgrade, Montana, that work in rotation to help build our soils, minimize weeds, and produce high yields—all without using expensive and toxic synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides.
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We also grow flax, yellow peas, alfalfa, and durum; you might have seen our peas and durum in Annie’s mac & cheese. Our flax is grown for seed and also ends up in bulk bins at grocery stores, our durum is made into pasta, and our alfalfa keeps organic dairy cows producing delicious milk, butter, and cream.
“As the term ‘regenerative’ has gained ground, many have lost sight of the fact that organic is the oven-ready set of standards to define regenerative ag.”
When I started my first-generation farm in 2004, I dove head first into regenerative practices, partly out of interest in the fascinating agronomy, but mostly out of necessity. If I was going to make a career in farming, producing high yields without expensive inputs would be my only way towards profitability.
As regenerative agriculture has gained steam in recent years, I’ve been thinking about its potential and how important it is that we direct the energy behind it towards real solutions. Since there’s no set definition of the term, I’ve seen “regenerative” increasingly being used to describe practices most farmers can agree don’t regenerate much soil.
The idea of “no-till” has become nearly synonymous with “regenerative” agriculture, the farming practice of reducing tillage and plowing. A new report from Friends of the Earth sheds some light on why this is concerning. It shows that, while no-till can be done without harmful chemicals, most no-till systems are so dependent on herbicides to manage weeds—since a key reason farmers till their soil is to get rid of weeds—that a full one-third of the U.S.’s total annual pesticide use can be attributed to no- and minimum-till corn and soy production alone. (The term “pesticide” includes herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.)
A tractor sprays pesticides on a farm. (Photo credit: sircco, Getty Images)
This impacts a lot of land. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data shows that 107 million acres—about 60 percent of both corn and soy—are under no- or minimum-till management. The report’s analysis of USDA data shows that 93 percent of those acres use herbicides linked to health and environmental risks, like Roundup.
This means the majority of no-till farming in this country is focused on herbicides, not regeneration. These chemicals devastate soil life—the microbes and bugs that farmers need to regenerate soil and to build resilience to droughts and floods. And they threaten our health, with scientists linking them to cancer, birth defects, infertility, and more.
No-till corn also uses a massive amount of synthetic fertilizers that can harm soil life and our health—about 7.6 billion pounds each year.
On top of that, the report shows conventional no-till farming is not scientifically linked to increasing carbon in the soil, despite most investment in no-till as “regenerative” being based on the faulty assumption that it is.
If conventional no-till is not regenerative, then what is? The key question is not “to till or not to till.” A narrow focus on single practices like tillage is misleading. Truly regenerative agriculture works with the farming system as a whole. Research shows that careful tillage in holistic farming systems can achieve better soil outcomes than chemical-intensive no-till systems.
Reducing tillage has its benefits and should be a target in all farming systems. Tillage tools available today are vastly improved over those available to farmers in the 1980s. Reducing tillage also saves time, steel, and fuel, helping improve farmers’ bottom line. Less tillage means less soil erosion and greater soil water-holding capacity. But as a farmer for more than two decades, I can say that in order to truly address soil health, supporting organic farming is a better path than a sole focus on no-till.
“It’s not farmers’ fault that chemical-intensive agriculture predominates in the U.S.—that’s what our public policies and markets support.”
When I purchased my first cows at age 12 as an offshoot of a 4H project, I quickly realized that I needed to find a market that adds value. As I built my operation and found markets, the demand for certified organic crops and beef offered a consistent premium I couldn’t ignore.
Later, as I expanded from 10 acres to over 1,000, I was able to grow my operation not only because of premium markets, but also because I didn’t have to navigate the expense of high fertilizer and herbicide bills—these synthetic inputs are prohibited in organic production. Not only do I have a healthy business, I have a healthier community, because my neighbors, my employees, and I have avoided exposure to many known toxic chemicals.
Some people have the misconception that organic can’t be regenerative because organic farmers use tillage to manage weeds and soil fertility. As the term “regenerative” has gained ground, many have lost sight of the fact that organic is the oven-ready set of standards to define regenerative ag. The organic standard includes pillars of soil health and provides an enforcement mechanism to ensure regenerative practices are actually implemented on the farm.
Decades of research shows that organic farming is one of the most comprehensive and time-tested ways to build healthy soils and protect the natural resources we need to grow food for ourselves and future generations, from helping pollinators thrive to preserving clean water. And unlike “regenerative,” the definition of organic is enforced through a rigorous legal standard.
This is a critical moment for agriculture here in Montana for my farm, and across the country. The fact that so many farmers have adopted no-till practices is indisputable evidence they’re interested in protecting their soil. It’s not farmers’ fault that chemical-intensive agriculture predominates in the U.S.—that’s what our public policies and markets support.
If we’re serious about regeneration and making America healthy, companies and policymakers need to help farmers thrive by investing in reduction of harmful, expensive inputs in conventional farming systems while expanding organic agriculture in our country.
July 30, 2025
From Oklahoma to D.C., a food activist works to ensure that communities can protect their food systems and their future.
I agree that there can't be definitive answers to long term effects of chemicals but tillage destroys their home and also stimulates weed germination and spread. It's great that you can make "organic farming" work but either the weeds or tillage would soon make our farm unproductive.
People need to stop pitting practices against each other and start to understand that what works for one will not work for another.
Calculate by calories what it takes to feed the entire planetModern ag is barely keeping up now. Dont muzzle the Ox.