Maintenance and protection of the soil resource is vital to the sustainability of any agricultural production system. Intensive tillage of the soil is still common in modern tobacco production systems. Tillage whether accomplished by hand tools, draft animals, or heavy equipment leads to degradation of the soil resource. Tillage introduces air into the soil promoting the oxidation of organic matter and weakening the soil structure. Tillage buries plant residue leaving the surface bare and exposed. Together, these factors increase the susceptibility to topsoil loss by erosion. Soil conservation practices such as reduced tillage, cover crop management, and crop rotation can help to slow degradation and maintain the productivity of the soil resource. No-tillage methods were introduced to modern agriculture in the late 1960s and have become widely adopted worldwide for the production of grain crops. However, application of these methods to large scale tobacco production has lagged behind due to several social and agronomic factors. There remains a prevailing myth among many tobacco growers that the soil must be stirred or cultivated to promote the growth of tobacco. Recent research and grower experience has demonstrated that with proper management tobacco can be successfully grown with minimum or no-tillage practices. Long-term field research is currently underway to assess the impact of tillage and rotation on soil properties. Just five years of continuous conventional tobacco production has resulted in lower organic matter and reduced soil aggregate size compared to rotation and reduced tillage plots. While conventional/intensive tillage is still the norm for tobacco production, methods such as no-till strip-till, and mulch-tillage are gaining favour with some growers. Increased adoption of reduced tillage methods in conjunction with crop rotation and cover crop management will slow the degradation of soil resources and promote sustainable tobacco production.