Marion Calmer bought his first farm in 1984. From that moment, the Alpha, Ill., No-Till Innovator and Legend realized that to make land payments, he needed to not only identify the most profitable ways to grow corn and soybeans, but to adopt sustainable agronomic practices. The 4-time NNTC Presenter of the Year goes through his 40-year journey of replicated studies on nitrogen rates, row spacings, populations, tillage vs. no-till vs strip-till, residue management and most recently the long-term effects of surface-applied phosphorus and potassium.
You’ll Learn: Take home a unique blend of common sense, analytics & innovation to make your next no-till decisions less stressful.
The 33rd Annual National No-Tillage Conference returns to Louisville on Jan. 7-10, 2025. Whether you're new to no-till or refining your system, this event delivers fast-paced learning from top no-till farmers, agronomists and experts. With over 12 General Sessions, 23 expert-led Classrooms and 34 Roundtables to choose from, plus opportunities to earn pesticide recertification and CCA credits, the 2025 No-Till Conference is a must-attend event for anyone looking to enhance their no-till farming practices.
View the full speaker agenda and topics here.
For more information about the 2025 National No-Tillage Conference, to register for the event and to book your hotel room visit no-tillfarmer.com/nntc. Use code SPEAKER50 for $50 off your registration.
The Conference extends its thanks to our 2025 sponsors: Precision Planting, Ag Leader, Montag, Martin-Till, Yetter, Bio Till Cover Crops, ForGround by Bayer, Copperhead Ag, The Andersons Plant Nutrient Group, HORSCH, Titan International, Midwest Bio-Tech, Vulcan Equipment, CLAAS, Apache Sprayers and Environmental Tillage Systems (ETS)
The owner of the Calmer Ag Research Center has conducted hundreds of onfarm practical research projects covering all aspects of crop production for nearly three decades. A firm believer in field-sized replicated research, his plots run the entire length of fields in widths that match his no-till planter, drill and combine. His mid-summer tours and winter meetings are jam-packed with practical results that always include plenty of down-home advice to help growers no-till more effectively while pushing up profits. Much of his research has centered on ways to make the most effective use of fertilizers, reduce seeding rates, planter modifications, combine adjustments and narrow-row corn. A popular speaker at many no-till events, Calmer led the charge toward 15-inch rows in no-till corn, engineering and marketing corn heads for narrower rows. He’s also developed crushing and chopping stalk rollers that aid in the decomposition of Bt corn-stalk residue in no-tilled corn.
Calmer will also be presenting the session "Tips for a Stellar Soybean Harvest."
