Homer C. Thompson Research Farm profiled in Cornell Chronicle article by Mary Woodsen, Research is main crop at Thompson Research Farm.
“A major focus of farm research is on sustainable systems approaches — ‘on how rotations, cover crops, fertility management, minimum tillage and similar environmentally friendly tactics increase yields while maintaining healthy soils for both conventional and organic growers,’ says McKay.
“For example, Professor Anu Rangarajan tests and refines ways small farmers using new ‘zone tillage’ can cut labor and fuel costs by 25 percent to 70 percent. For starters, only actual planting rows are tilled. From turning the soil and breaking deep compacted layers to busting up clods and building planting mounds, zone tillers do it in just one pass — and farmers can even build one themselves.”