Project Lead: Anu Rangarajan
Tillage can be a valuable management tool on a vegetable farm but intensive and repeated tillage is hard on soils. We support small to mid-scale vegetable farmers, many using organic practices, in adopting reduced tillage practices on their farm. These practices can take many different forms. Our goal is to integrate reduced tillage with other soil building practices, to foster the growth and viability of vegetable farming in New York and the Northeast.
We work across different tools and practices, fit to the the scale and resources of the farm, and are learning from many innovative farmers leading the way. We conduct applied research to trial new and emerging practices to understand the science behind them while sharing practical lessons learned to support farmers in fitting them into their own operations. We partner with farmers in experimenting on their farm and offer workshops and other training opportunities for farmers to share their methods and ideas with one another. Explore this website to learn more about our research, events, and resources.
Reduced Tillage Resources
Join our email list to hear about new resources as they’re added.
-
Farm Stories
By engaging with experienced farmers, we continue to learn how reduced tillage systems are taking shape on…
-
Reduced Tillage Webinars
The Cornell Small Farms RT Project has collaborated on a variety of webinars to share results from…
-
Strip Tillage
Strip Tillage Home » Projects » Reduced Tillage in Vegetables » Strip Tillage Strip, or zone, tillage…
About Reduced Tillage in Vegetables
Reduced tillage practices minimize soil disturbance with targeted and appropriate tillage based on farm goals. Reduced tillage means less intensity, shallower depth, and less area disturbed, either in the bed, field or across the farm. It can mean less frequent tillage and lead to successful adoption of no-till practices.
Practices take many forms. They may be system-wide, applied across the whole farm, or only fit in a part of the rotation for specific crops. They often maintain the benefits of some tillage for managing weeds, making a better seed bed for crop establishment, or incorporating residues. How they take shape on a farm can depend on farm size and soil characteristics, access to equipment or materials, farm skill sets, and labor availability.
Events
Events
-
-
Foraging Walk
Join us on a foraging walk to see what along our trails is edible! This walk will focus on mushrooms but discuss plants as well. The trail will be moderately […]
-
Exploring Updated Farm Stress Training Programs from Michigan State University Extension
VirtualLooking for practical, ready-to-use programming on farm stress and communication? Join this webinar for an overview of the newly updated MSU Extension farm stress training programs and facilitator guide. Designed […]
-
Soil Health in Organic Field Crops
Gianforte Farm 5882 E. Lake Rd, Cazenovia, NYJoin us at Gianforte Farms for a NY Soil Health Field Day focused on soil health in organic field crop systems. BBQ lunch included! Free to attend, registration required. Featuring: Featured […]
-
Harvest & Post-Harvest 101: Safe Handling and Produce Care
Groundswell 100 Rachel Carson Way, Ithaca, United StatesJoin us for a hands-on introductory workshop focused on safe harvesting, produce handling, washing, storage, and post-harvest care for small-scale and organic farming systems. Participants will learn practical techniques to […]
-
Syntropic Agroforestry Introduction Webinar
VirtualIn this presentation we will cover the essential features of syntropic agroforestry. What does syntropy mean, and how can we achieve it? We will discuss what is meant by the […]
-
Opportunity Costs of Conservation-Minded Farming
VirtualJoin us as we present the first-year results of exploring the above-business-as-usual maintenance costs of farming in a conservation-minded way. This first foray quantifies the differences in production expenses and […]
-
Livestock Production Field Day
Troll Bridge Farm 467 Geer Rd, Chaffee, NY, United StatesAre you interested in raising and selling beef, chicken, turkey, or pork? Join us for this Field Day and visit two successful farms in Western New York, followed by a […]
-
-
Rochester Soil Health Day
Food Link Community Farm 607 Lexington Ave., Rochester, NY, United StatesRochester Soil Health Day will have lovely partner tables focusing on soil health, yummy snacks, and the opportunity to have your garden soil screened for lead by the New York […]
-
Food Preservation: Water Bath Canning Tomatoes
CCE Tompkins Education Center 615 Willow Ave., Ithaca, NY, United StatesSeptember is a month full of bounty! If you’ve found yourself with too many tomatoes for fresh eating, or if you’re just curious about food preservation, join us for a […]
-
Outdoor Mushroom Workshop
CNY Organic Farms 519 County Rte 4, Central Square, NY, United StatesCornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County will host an outdoor mushroom workshop that will identify specialty mushrooms that make sense to grow on small acreage in an outdoor forest setting. Joshua […]
-
Renewable Energy Tour
Lawrence Doody & Sons Farm 1626 Barker Road, Tully, NY, United StatesJoin us for a free educational field day to explore distributed wind energy as a viable resource to diversify your property’s power production. Distributed wind systems usually provide power directly […]
-
Northeast Growing Together Conference
Rodale Institute 611 Siegfriedale Rd, Kutztown, PA, United StatesThis event, hosted by the Northeast TOPP program, supports current and aspiring organic farmers through hands-on workshops, practical technical assistance, and meaningful opportunities to connect with peers across the food and […]
News and Updates
-
In the News: How We Help NYS Farmers Implement Reduced Tillage Systems
by
|
Sweeping problems under the rug usually leads to larger problems in the future, unless of course, the problem is weeds and the rug is tarps. Tarping fields as a weed management strategy is an integral part of many organic and reduced tillage operations. Cornell Small Farms Program director, Anu Rangarajan, and Reduced Tillage project coordinator,…
-
Join Our Tarping for Reduced Tillage Workshop Series
by
|
Are you a vegetable farmer already using tarps? Or are you wondering if and how tarps could work best on your farm? The Cornell Small Farms Program is excited to announce a series of workshops on tarping in small-scale vegetable systems, to be held in Maine and New York this fall. Tarping has emerged as…
-
Why Strip Tillage?
by
|
Repeated, intensive tillage degrades soil structure and creates compacted layers than can restrict plant roots. Strip tillage targets soil disturbance to the planting zone and can help retain surface residue, preserve soil moisture, build soil structure, and reduce erosion. This approach can give vegetables a good start by warming soils, forming a good seedbed, stimulating…
-
Why permanent beds?
by
|
Permanent bed systems can help farms improve soil health at the farm-level. Rather than plow and harrow by the field, fields are divided into a set of beds and field traffic, whether tractor or foot, is restricted to the between-bed area, year after year. These pathways can be managed with cultivation, mulches, cover crops, or…
-
Reusable Black Tarps Suppress Weeds and Make Organic Reduced Tillage More Viable
by
|
Research on the potential of tarps to reduce or even replace tillage by controlling weeds and decomposing crop residue. By Haley Rylander Introduction Organic vegetable farmers rely heavily on intensive soil tillage to control weeds, incorporate amendments and cover crop residue, and prepare clean seedbeds. Intensive tillage, however, can decrease long-term soil health by causing…
Project Partners
We collaborate with other researchers at Cornell, extension educators within Cornell Cooperative Extension, and other organizations and universities across the Northeast.
About Anu Rangarajan
Anu was appointed director the Cornell Small Farms Program in 2004. At the same time, she opened a U-pick strawberry farm in Freeville, NY. The experience of operating a small farm changed her entire approach to research and extension, and deepened her commitment to NY farms and local food systems.
Read Articles by Anu Rangarajan
Subscribe for Updates and Opportunities
Subscribe to get the latest updates and information on strategies to reduce tillage on your farm. You’ll be first to hear about webinars, field days, and online courses that will connect you with other growers and our research results as we look to find ways to be successful in building soils on your farm.
