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Soil & Water Conservation Society
7515 Northeast Ankeny Road � Ankeny, Iowa, 50021-9764 � (515)289-2331
  
March 8, 1995

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Doug Kleine, 800/843-7645



                    ENVIRONMENT BENEFITS FROM AG REVOLUTION

Washington, DC -- The plow may have revolutionized agriculture, but
the decision not to plow may be even more significant for the total
environment, says a landmark White Paper released today by the Soil &
Water Conservation Society.
     "Precision ecofarming," as White Paper authors refer to no-plow
conservation tillage, has already paid off in decreased C02 emissions
and improved water and soil quality.
     White Paper researcher Don Reicosky of North Central Soil
Conservation Research Lab compares plowing to "opening the air supply
and stirring kindling into the smoldering coals of a coal stove," 
when he points out that conservation tillage can convert soils from
"sources [of CO2] to sinks."  
     Used on more than 35 percent of all planted acres in the U.S.,
conservation tillage has also been found to reduce pesticide and water
runoff by 70 percent, fertilizer runoff up to 81 percent and soil
erosion by 93 percent. The net result: healthier lakes and streams,
more productive farmland.
     Insecticide and herbicide use has declined, and University of
Minnesota researcher George Rehm predicts a "general reduction of the
total amount of fertilizers used on a national basis" if conservation
tillage practices continue to increase.
     "All projected changes [resulting from precision ecofarming] will
have a positive effect on farm profitability and environmental
quality," Rehm observed.
     Energy also figures into the equation.  White Paper researcher
W.W. Frye of the University of Kentucky found that because
conservation tillage requires less machinery and smaller machines, it
also conserves fuel.
     Copies of the White Paper Farming for a Better Environment are
available from the Soil & Water Conservation Society, 7515 Northeast
Ankeny Rd., Ankeny, IA 50021-9764; 800/THE-SOIL.
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