Brandon Hunt led the charge on a switch from conventional tillage to no-till and strip-till on his family’s 11,000-acre farm near Herndon, Ky. For the 4th-generation farmer, innovation is born out of experimentation. Hunt unpacks the results from a 3-year study on banding vs. broadcasting and various trials with cover crops, which are becoming an integral part of his operation. He also shares some of the top learning experiences from his transition to strip-till on a large-scale operation.
You'll Learn: Key steps when implementing strip-till, the benefits of banding fertilizer 8 inches deep at different rates vs. surface application, cover crop strategies & more!
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)
As a fourth-generation farmer, but the first to solely focus entirely on managing the family’s 11,000-acre operation near Herndon, Ky., Brandon Hunt appreciates how innovation is born out of experimentation. After graduating from college, Hunt permanently returned to the family farm — formed in the 1950s — which raises primarily corn, soybeans and wheat, along with smaller amounts of tobacco and hemp. Conventional tillage practices covered most of the farm for years, but no-till, and more recently strip-till have become systematic changes Hunt implemented. He recently completed a 3-year study on 125 acres comparing banded fertilizer application vs. spreading to gain more understanding on nutrient efficiencies of banding 8 inches deep at different rates vs. surface application. Hunt is currently conducting trials with cover crops, which have become an increasingly important part of the operation. Seeding cereal rye in mid-October to November after harvesting double-cropped soybeans, Hunt then likes to strip-till ahead of planting corn.
