Field experiments were conducted from 1970 through 1974 to determine the effects of intensive double‐cropping with notillage and conventional tillage on certain physical and chemical properties of a Huntington silt loam soil and a Pope silt loam soil. The soils were double‐cropped 4 years with corn and barley or oats. Three fertilizers rates were used. There were no significant effects at the 0.05 level on either bulk density or organic matter content. Soil pH in the surface 0 to 15 cm decreased and was related to the amount of N fertilizer applied. Soil test levels of P increased at each level of P fertilizer. The lowest level of K fertilizer was sufficient to maintain soil test K at its original value in the Huntington soil, but the medium level was necessary in the case of the Pope soil. Intensive double‐cropping with either no‐tillage or conventional. tillage for a period of 4 years did not significantly affect the soil productivity parameters measured in these soils, even though most of the above‐ground portion of the crops was harvested as silage. The results suggest that the productivity of high quality soils under similar intensive cropping systems probably could be maintained over a long period of time.