Agriculture is mostly down to glyphosate resistance, i.e. GMOs. If you can spray a field with glyphosate, you don't need to till at the start of the season. T

Agriculture is mostly down to glyphosate resistance, i.e. GMOs. If you can spray a field with glyphosate, you don't need to till at the start of the season. Tilling has huge externalities, both the carbon emitted from the powerful plow used, and also the runoff from the disturbed soil. That runoff, which can cause all sorts of contamination, algal blooms, etc., is also leeching needed nutrients from the soil. If you avoid tilling, you ultimately need to use less fertilizer.