Conservation practices mean more up-front costs. And while there are some government conservation incentive programs, most of them involve long-term commitments. The vast majority of farmland leases are year-to-year.
Flows of greenhouse gases into and out of soil are complex, and some scientists are questioning whether these efforts will actually help slow global warming.
It's an approach to farming built around four basic rules: Never till the soil. Use cover crops so soil is never bare. Grow a more diverse mix of plants. And use fields to graze livestock.
No-till farming started as a way to keep costs down for conventional farmers in danger of losing their land. Now it has become a subculture and a way of life for outsider farmers all over rural America.
