The CRM Survey reports tillage practices using the following categories:

• No-till - The survey reports a range from the absence of any tillage pass to practices causing minimal soil disturbance as "No-till". Residue levels range from 30 to 90% depending on previous crop.
  • No-till -  <20% of the soil surface is disturbed. Planters may use residue managers and/or knives to place starter fertilizer beside the row.
  • Strip-till - A mole knife disturbs an area about 10 inches wide (30% of the soil’s surface). Planting occurs directly into the disturbed zone.
  • Vertical tillage - Coulters or concave discs size residue and are followed by field cultivators or a rolling basket to smooth a field’s surface. 80-100% of the soil’s surface is disturbed, residue remaining on the surface can vary from 10 to 50%
• Ridge-till - 4 to 6 inch high ridges are built during row cultivation, with 1 to 2 inches scraped off the ridge during planting.
• Mulch-till - full-width tillage (100% of the soil surface is disturbed) that leaves more than 30% residue coverage after planting, often using implements such as chisel plows, discs, field cultivators, or combination tools.
• Reduced-till - similar to mulch-till leaving 15 to 30% of the soil surface covered by residue after planting.
• Conventional tillage - Full-width tillage usually involving multiple tillage passes leaving less than 15% of the soil surface covered by residue after planting. Moldboard plows, discs, field cultivators, and combination tools may be used.