We’ve had no metal through this land for over 5 years, and the soil is thanking us for it. I know some of the neighbors still lean on the gate and scratch their heads, wondering what on earth we’re up to, but I’m convinced we’re on the right track. 

We’re using cover crops to do the cultivation for us now. This year, we’ve got a mix of black oats, radish, vetch and a bit of ryegrass in our overwinter cover. We’ve upped the seed rate and the mix to get a good, thick cover, and it’s doing a fantastic job. 

The radish, in particular, is brilliant. I dug up a taproot the other day that was as long as my arm. It’s blasting through any old plow pans and creating drainage channels deep into the subsoil. It’s amazing what a plant can do.

We’ve also got some sainfoin that’s been in the ground for 3 years now. It’s had all sorts thrown at it — including herbicides — but it just won’t die. I’m not bothered, to be honest. It’s a fantastic plant. It’s got a massive, woody taproot that goes down for feet and it’s doing a brilliant job of improving the soil structure. 

It’s also great for the bees. Speaking of bees, our beekeeper has had a fantastic year. He’s got nearly 100 hives on the farm, and he made 12 tons of honey this summer. It’s great to see. We’ve got more and more food available for them now, with the buckwheat, vetch and other things we’re growing in our cover crops. It’s a nice little by-product of the system.

This article is part of the feature "No-Tilling, Cover Crops Blasting Through Plow Pan" from the March 2026 issue of No-Till Farmer.