Tillage has been used in the production of crops from the dawn of civilization. Mechanical manipulation of the soil (tillage) is used for producing soil conditions and environment favorable to crop growth and used for controlling undesirable plant growth (cultivation). Tillage is also used to facilitate planting. Tillage for seedbed preparation and cultivation consumes approximately 30 percent of the energy used in agriculture in the United States (13).

The common practice for producing a seedbed is to use tillage tools of various types independently or in sequential combination until "optimum" soil physical conditions (an empirical condition existing in the mind of the farmer) are developed. The amount of tillage used in seedbed preparation and cultivation by the farmer is based on his past experience; thus, the amount of soil manipulation (by various tillage tools) is based on the farmer's knowledge of the seedbed preparation.