A longtime attendee at the National No-Tillage Conference (NNTC) recently told me our 2025 lineup of topics and speakers is among the very best in the entire 33-year history of this event.

That’s great news to hear, as I know our No-Till Farmer staff pulled out all the stops in delivering an outstanding January 7-10 event for you in Louisville, Ky. Our list of 40 speakers is overwhelming and unmatched anywhere in the world when it comes to offering the latest no-till opportunities.

With a theme of “Reaching New Heights with No-Till,” our 2025 NNTC includes 12 impactful general sessions, 25 in-depth no-till classrooms, 34 customized no-till roundtable discussions and much more in 100 hours of non-stop learning to maximize your no-till returns.

This event comes at a perfect time as farmers navigate a challenging year ahead. It places a higher value on attending than in more normal farming years in order for you to pick up dozens of things that will make 2025 more successful and profitable. 

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TALKING SHOP. No-tillers participate in a roundtable discussion to troubleshoot pain points on their farms. In this format, a moderator leads the discussion, and no-tillers are free to respond and bounce ideas off each other.

If you have something in particular that you need an answer to or help with, other attendees are always willing to share their thoughts. Past attendees have shared that attending NNTC is a “no-brainer” when considering the value of new friends and contacts as you assemble trusted experts as value partners in your own “mastermind theory” brain trust.

Our goal has always been to make this conference a unique re-charge event for attendees, as it’s a place where they come together to share ideas, get the low-down on new practices and share perspectives on where modern no-till systems are headed in the future. I urge you to take a look at the full program and see all the opportunities that can help you better your no-till operation now and in the future.

To download a free copy of the program that has all the essential details, go to NoTillConference.com. 

Putting Knowledge to Work

Evidence of this outstanding NNTC program is the fact that we’ve already registered attendees from Australia, Canada, Hungary, Italy and New Zealand with more countries to come. These grower believe it’s worth traveling thousands of miles to soak up the latest no-tilling and cover crop ideas.

Whether you are a first-time no-tiller or a 45-year no-till veteran, here are a few examples of the more than 40 incredible speakers that should encourage you to attend this January 7-10 event in Louisville.

Jill Clapperton, a world-renowned soil biologist and rhizosphere ecologist, shares her thinking on why what’s living below the soil surface is essential in maintaining a healthy no-till soil structure. Learn the crucial steps to creating and sustaining productive soils in your no-till operation. 

Dwayne Beck is responsible for much of the tremendous no-till adoption in the northern plains dryland climate. The long-time manager at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm in western South Dakota shares critical observations from over 40 years of research that will help you understand the true cost and value of positioning your operation for no-till success.

I still recall a comment Dwayne made as a speaker at the first NNTC in 1993: “You folks in the eastern Corn Belt no-till to get rid of the water while growers in South Dakota no-till to capture every drop of our limited rainfall.”

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PACKED SESSION. No-till classroom attendees watch as Haxtun, Colo., no-tiller Roy Pfaltzgraff shows how he’s able to continuously crop as many as 18 different crops in 1 year with only 14-15 inches of average annual moisture.

Thomas Dykstra, a specialist in bio-electromagnetics, introduces the concept of electrical conductivity (EC) in the soil as it relates to plants and microbes. You’ll learn how EC impacts soil health and nutrient availability and the EC conditions that some crops — and weeds — prefer to grow in.

Jimmy Emmons is one of the biggest names when it comes to successfully no-tilling under ever-changing weather conditions. Because of his own on-farm experiences, the Oklahoma no-tiller was among candidates considered for the Secretary of Agriculture position in the new administration.

Emmons will walk you through how he uses no-till, cover crops and relay cropping to keep every drop of moisture where it falls — all while building soil health on his farm, which averages only 20 inches of rainfall per year.

Mac Kincaid, a Missouri no-tiller, has gone all in on regenerative soil health principles, diversifying his cash crop rotation, integrating livestock and adding cover crops on 100% of his ground. He’ll deliver an unfiltered look at how he “regenerated” his land, sharing data from on-farm trials to illustrate the true impact of his management decisions.

Michael Horsch will be sharing the latest no-tilling, cover crop and ag equipment ideas from Europe. In addition to his family cropping 55,000 acres in Germany and the Czech Republic, he’s the owner and founder of Horsch Equipment. 

Bucking traditional ag practices, this visionary farmer brings his unique global perspective on conservation ag while offering the latest trends shaping the future of agriculture that could soon find their way to North America.

Morry Taylor of Titan International will share new ideas on ways to overcome no-till compaction worries. As a plus, look for the highly controversial one-time U.S. presidential candidate to deliver strong opinions on what’s going to take place in the nation’s capital over the next 4 years.

Russell Hedrick, who holds the world’s dryland corn yield record of 459 bushels per acre and the North Carolina soybean yield record holder of 117 bushels per acre, will share valuable insights on producing high no-till yields, the importance of biologicals, his extensive use of drones and in-depth details on the specific practices propelling him to record-high corn and soybean yields.

Rick Clark, who has successfully made organic work on his 7,000-acre 100% no-till Indiana corn, soybeans and small grains operation, will share his ideas on how to dramatically slice fertilizer costs and how adopting regenerative practices can lead to more profit for you. Learn how he has trimmed traditional cropping costs by nearly $300 per acre.

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Loran Steinlage will outline what’s needed for a successful no-till system, regardless of your soil conditions or climate. The Iowa no-tiller will outline the essential building blocks for a successful no-till system and tackle grower questions on everything from planter modifications, residue management, cover crops, planting green and much more.

Ray McCormick is an “outside the box” thinker when it comes to cover crops, no-till and conservation, As our No-Till Farmer 2024 Conservation Ag Fellow, this Indiana grower will share his observations from a challenging growing season, reveal his playbook for seeding cover crops with the combine and reveal several envelope-pushing experiments planned for 2025.

Kelly Garrett is a western Iowa no-tiller whose focus on soil conservation, sustainability and innovation has led to multiple first-place finishes in the National Corn Gowers Association yield contest. Among the first U.S. growers to sell carbon credits to a corporate buyer, this 6th generation farmer will share the money-making principles behind his 100% no-till system and explain why "balancing the soil" is the #1 priority on his 7,000-acre farm.

Marion Calmer shares ideas gleaned from 40 years of independent on-farm research conducted on his western Illinois farm. This includes the latest results from his long-term replicated studies with nitrogen rates, plant populations, row spacings, residue management and the serious impact of surface-applied phosphorus and potassium.

Other presentations at the 2025 NNTC will include critical topics such as: 

On-farm experimentation results with strip-till.

Using insects as indicators for plant health.

Optimizing no-till planters for success.

No-till drainage solutions for the long haul.

Planting green to fight weeds.

Making sense of the newest biologicals.

Feeding your “underground livestock.”

Tackling the ag labor crisis.

Evaluating the value of potential value of no-till planter and drill modification.

And much more.

Networking, Networking, More Networking

Always a highlight of the NNTC are the invaluable networking opportunities attendees have with unlimited access to the brightest and most brilliant minds in no-till. In fact, past attendees have said these networking opportunities have been worth the cost of attending all by themselves.

Whether it’s talking with fellow no-tillers, educators or sponsors, participating in roundtables, impromptu discussions at lunch or sharing a beer with other growers, the NNTC networking offers no shortage of opportunities to find solutions to your most-pressing concerns through numerous “one-on-one” conservations.

As a past attendee has told me several times, “One of the most valuable parts about this meeting is the networking. It's not just the presentations, it’s more about who you meet and how they look at things.”

Guaranteed Learning

I know you make sacrifices in your farming operation and life to attend and I’m truly honored and humbled by the fact you have trusted our staff to bring you valuable, non-stop no-till learning over these 4 days. And if this event is not everything we promise, let me know and I’ll send you a full 100% refund. That’s how good I’m sure our 2025 NNTC program will deliver in benefits to you.

To download a free copy of the exceptional 2025 NNTC program that has all the essential details, go to NoTillConference.com.

Hope to see you soon in Louisville.