« Ideas such as « crop and soil weatherproofing, » the « row support system, » and the « tillage commandments, » exemplify the practicality of the soil/root maintenance program that serves as the foundation for Schriefer’s highly-successful « systems approach » farming. Schriefer was a pioneer in developing an awareness of the relation of tillage to soil fertility, focusing on three major soil basics — soil aeration, soil water, and soil decay. This book covers such topics as soil chemistry, plant and soil dynamics, above- and below-ground plant management, row support fertilization, zone-tillage, disc-chiseling, and more. He focuses on reducing « yield-limiting factors » such as seed selection, excessive tillage and a dependence on technology. »
