Soil Conservation &
No-Til Farming

In 1936, Cotner Farms, Inc. became one of the first farms in central Pennsylvania to implement 'contour' farming.

Contour farming, a practice of planting strips of land with alternating crops (such as alternating strips of corn and barley), is a common practice today, but was unheard of in the mid-1930s.

When asked by a local newspaper about his contour strips, Don Cotner Sr. was quoted, "When we started contouring, people thought we were nuts.  But, it solved my erosion problem and I've been interested in soil conservation ever since."

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