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Abstract
No-till has been promoted as a cultivation method that reduces both production
costs and the environmental impacts of farming relative to conventional tillage. Using farm-level
data from Finland, we show that no-till has no statistically significant effect on total
variable costs but that it increases the use of plant protection products and fertilizers, and
decreases the use of labor. An environmental impact simulation combining the results on
input use with a nutrient and herbicide runoff model predicts that no-till produces
environmental benefits on highly erodible land, but may be even detrimental to the
environment in average conditions.