An experiment was conducted to determine the optimum moisture content at which to subsoil based on tillage forces and on soil disruption. Two different shanks, a straight shank and a “minimum-tillage” shank, were tested in a Coastal Plains soil (Norfolk sandy loam) in the soil bins of the National Soil Dynamics Laboratory in Auburn, AL. A three-dimensional dynamometer was used to measure tillage forces and a laser profilometer was used to measure soil disruption. Tillage forces and soil disruption from the driest moisture content were found to be greater than from all other moisture contents tested. The “minimum-tillage” shank was found to require more energy and disrupt the soil to a lesser degree than the straight shank.