With 660 dedicated no-tillers gathering in the exciting city of St. Louis, “the gateway to the west,” the theme to the seventh annual National No-Tillage Conference, “No-Till...Gateway To The New Millennium,” inspired even the skeptical that if there ever was anything to lead agriculture into the new millennium it would be no-till farming.

Inspiration continued to flourish throughout the conference, with keynote speaker Wayne Humphreys heightening the experience in his banquet address. “Every time we get together, we get excited by the things people have found to do with simple things,” he says. “Agriculture is getting more and more complicated, but we have simple tools to make things work.

“Agriculture is at the point of convergence—where all technologies come together and make something wonderful called food.”

With the millennium comes change in farming, says the no-tiller from Columbus Junction, Iowa. It’s the job of the farmers to be ready. “Our business is amazingly unpredictable,” he says. “We do the best we can with what we have today. We’re here at this no-till conference so we can be smarter.”

The phrase, “The smart fish eat the dumb fish,” coined by Sam Walton is highlighted by Humphreys. But he also acknowledges the importance of public relations. “Ninety percent of our future success has to do with other people, the ability to appreciate other folks,” he says.

With this appreciation comes Humphreys “Aces” guide to successful no-tilling in the year 2000 and beyond. It’s an idea that can certainly make you a much…