Disturbance of all types — physical, biological and chemical – is gradually being reduced in American agriculture
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of five explanations of the principles of soil health, as described by Jay Fuhrer, who was one of the first to define these principles as a whole. Each article will include a description of the principle along with a profile of a farm that is successfully implementing it.
Driving through a landscape allows you to observe fields with and without soil disturbance. Physical disturbance or tillage is the easiest to see. Biological soil disturbance — limited photosynthetic time and limited plant diversity, along with chemical soil disturbance or pesticide use — is more difficult to see.
Let’s look at a few terms we’ve used to describe how we manage soil over the years. These are listed in roughly chronological order, although there is of course much overlap.
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