permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflondon@mindspring.com>]

If a 30-40 HP tractor and a 1-hill set of hilling discs are available
you could contour hill (as opposed to contour plough) the open acreage;
go over each hill two to four passes; if chisel plowing or disc
harrowing is possible beforehand, all the better.

This will create a broad pattern of mini-swales that will catch and
recycle water/nutrient/silt runoff and will accumulate organic matter in
the deep furrows created. The hills will provide aeration of the soil
while the furrows, or ditches, will conserve moisture within the humus
they contain, wicking it up into the hills.

Three especially valuable tractor implements useful in improving land
and increasing soil organic matter, fertility and tilth are:

the Soil Saver
the Yeomans Plow (a system of tillage tools)
the hilling disc

LL

-- 

L.F.London 
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech