I figured my comment would be provocative (note that I did apologize for any perceived offense in the same breath as I made the comment, see original post.) 

To be sure, I certainly am not condemning the actions taken a generation ago, or even a decade ago.  But soil science has come a long way, and the tools to no-till are readily available (and affordable) in any free-market country.  There are many informational resources available to assist the transition to no-till.  No-till isn't lunatic fringe anymore, it is mainstream.  The fact that any of you are accessing this forum via PC and Internet shows how much the world has changed in a few short years.  Isn't it time to re-evaluate what you are doing to your soil, perhaps your most precious resource?

As for the crops Jay was working with (perennial grass to alfalfa), that is no problem for no-till.  I do not know of any perennial grasses that can't be killed with herbicides.  As other respondents have noted, no-till establishment of alfalfa is fairly common and effective worldwide.

As for field smoothness, yes, that is an issue.  But there are less-destructive methods available than plowing.  And once you get it perfectly smooth for alfalfa, what will be the answer when it is time to rotate away from alfalfa?  Will you again say it is too rough, and simply must be plowed?  

Once a field is smooth, and soil structure has recovered somewhat with adequate mulch cover and no tillage, there should be very little further problems with it becoming rough.  Getting thru the first few years (when structure is poor) w/o making more ruts or bumps is a serious hurdle.  But every time you till deeply, you start over on the structure.