New tilllage technique helps create healthier soil

An eco-friendly irrigation technique is helping farmers in Tennessee develop healthy soil, Anne Paine of The Tennessean reports. "Keylining" is a method that cuts into soil and deposits liquid compost in the cuts, which are placed where slopes level out so the cuts can absorb rainwater and be open to beneficial fungi and bacteria. It allows soil to hold more moisture in places where it's needed and is becoming an alternative to chemically feeding crops. (Photo: Keylining machine)

Howard Switzer and Brian Bankston told Paine they use the method because traditional agriculture practices destroy soil. University of Tennessee agriculture expert Don Tyler disagrees. He said the new technique isn't "needed for most soils" in Tennessee because studies show the dirt isn't very compacted. Switzer and Bankston said keylining will make farms more sustainable because they don't have to import or use chemicals. Farmer Justin Sanders says he has already seen results from the practice and he plans to continue it. Arkansas farmer Thomas Post said the technique kept grass green in his fields during extreme drought while pastures around his "burned up."

The Tennessee Agriculture Department told Paine it is unfamiliar with the process, but Switzer said the agency should be made aware because the method has turned barren fields in other countries into places lush with plants. (Read more)