Cover Crop Progress

I am attempting to use animal power and minimal tillage. I think the concept makes alot of sense, but have to admit I have struggled with weeds alot at this early stage. I expect that each additional year and cover rotation will eliminate more weeds, but that remains to be seen and I am not ruling out plowing now and then. The Nordells lay out a model for these techniques that works in thier hands. They sell a video that lays out thier techniques, which I found fascinating. It is interesting to me that thier techniques use a mix of traditional tools and newly developed tools. Also, many of the traditional tools are also used in slightly different ways than they were intended for. For example, skim plowing with a traditional hand plow. My take home message was that there is much from big “modern” tractor-based farming that can be adapted to animal power and that the “old time methods” can be improved in some cases with modern techniques and knowledge, including minimal tillage. I think it’s worth taking substantial time thinking about and understanding the reasons for why each techniques was performed with animal power in the past, how these fuctions are performed on big “modern” tractor-based farms, and how either method might be adapted to draft animal power today. I think that modern technology and plants can improve these techniques alot, which might result in modifications to old tools and the developement of altogether new tools. I think it the future most animal based farmers will use a mix of old and new tools, both designed for use by animals, which are capable of taking full advantage of the last centuries agricultural research and development.

This is interesting.. I have wrongly assumed it was the weight of the tractors causing the pan.. or at least the pan Im thinking of. I take it plowing deep now and then, for potatos example,would help. I had wondered if land cress would be any use as a cover crop. Thick coverage and easy to incorperate ?..
John