Many southeastern Piedmont soils have low organic matter content and an unstable soil structure, which makes them crust-prone and subject to runoff and erosion. Eliminating tillage on these soils may reduce crusting, runoff, and erosion. To test this hypothesis, a long-term field experiment, designed as a randomized complete block with four replications, was established in 1994. Tillage treatments were no tillage and conventional tillage (chisel plow/disk) in a corn/soybean crop rotation. Permanent soil erosion subplots (10 m x 3.7 m) were installed in each plot. A trough at the end of each subplot was installed to capture and deliver runoff and sediment to a tank equipped with multi-slots that delivered 11% of the flow to a second adjacent tank. Runoff volume and sediment concentration in the tanks was measured after each rainfall event. Six years of data (1995 to 2001) consistently showed lower runoff and soil loss in no tillage compared to conventional tillage. No tillage reduced mean runoff by 34%. Reduced particle detachment by raindrop impact and the reduction in runoff explained the low levels of soil loss in no tillage. The six-year average soil loss rate in no tillage was 2.3 Mg/ha, which falls below the USDA acceptable soil loss rate of 6.7 Mg/ha for this location. The six-year average soil loss rate in conventional tillage was 74.7 Mg/ha, 32 times more soil loss than in no tillage. Crop yield, measured from 1994 through 2005, was highest in no tillage in 1996 and 2000. No differences in yield were found between tillage treatments in other years.