However, making the choice of whether to adopt a conservation tillage or no-till practice requires that producers understand more than the implications of their tillage choices on the broader issues concerning water quality and soil erosion. Producers who farm in rolling terrain also have realized that no-till can help reduce costs while maintaining yields and reducing soil erosion, thereby building soil quality and overall soil productivity. The balance between what is environmentally responsible and economically feasible is a key issue in choosing a conservation tillage system. If given a chance to prove itself on flat land, producers may find that no-till can hold their yields nearly even, and enhance their profitability by lowering production costs. The issues of conversion costs, availability of equipment, and planting windows revealed some of the difficulties in adopting conservation tillage systems.
Many producers cite machinery conversion costs as one of the leading reasons for avoiding no-till.
The purchase of full-width tillage equipment is more expensive. Plans for the future. The findings from the IRMP survey indicates that, contrary to perceptions, producers have not reduced their use of conservation tillage and no-till systems in Iowa corn and soybean rotations. In fact, the research demonstrates that possibly a larger proportion of corn and soybean producers in Iowa will be using conservation tillage or no-till on more acres in the future. Based on producer responses to questions about their plans, it is reasonable to project that use of no-till will increase.