INTRODUCTION
 With the growing dilemma of maximizing crop production to feed
the ever-increasing populace on this planet, consideration must be
given to discovering methods which increase efficiency. Farmland
must be utilized for growing crops on a year-round basis. The
practices of minimum tillage will aid in conserving the land and
other resources while practicing multiple cropping for food
production.1

 The term multiple cropping refers to growing more than one
crop on the same plot of land in one 12-month period. Succession
cropping is one of the most commonly practiced types of multiple
cropping. This type of cropping describes the growing of two or
more crops in succession on the same soil in one year.1 Double
cropping, a type of successive multiple cropping, was used in this
experiment. Two crops were grown in succession, one in the
fall/winter and one in the spring/summer.

 Minimum tillage, a conserving method of land and resources,
refers to disturbing the soil as little as possible to produce a
crop. Conventional tillage, the most commonly practiced method, is
a sharp contrast to minimum tillage, for it employs the use of
tillage implements such as plows to mix and turn over the land to
deposit seeds of a crop. No-tillage, a form of minimum tillage, is
defined as the opening of a slot in the soil only sufficiently deep
and wide to properly deposit and cover the seeds.1 Advantages of
no-tillage include the reduction of erosion, conservation of
resources (land, water, and fuel), the increase of field use,
reduction of labor and production costs, and efficient use of
time.2

 A cover crop, or the first crop in a double cropping
system, is planted in the fall and then sacrificed in the spring
for the summer crop corn (Zea mays L.). A cover crop can be useful
for the cash-crop corn because it provides essential elements to
the soil. However, the method in which the soil is tilled is also
an essential factor that can affect crop yield. Along with the two
different types of tillage (no-tillage vs. conventional), there are
different manipulations of the cover crop such as forage, green
manure, and mulch.

 Forage is used as feed for rumen animals. The cover crop is
removed from the land leaving only the roots behind. The risk of
erosion is reduced since the roots hold the soil in place.
However, 90% of the plant is removed for animal feed and therefore
the N supply available for the succeeding crop is minimal. The
main benefit of using the cover crop as forage is that it is
profitable for the farmer to sell or use the crop for livestock
feed.