It all started with the search for a new corn planter. But when Daniel Stokes from Omro, Wis., ventured along the no-till path, little did he know his life would never be the same.

“I didn’t no-till for quite a while,” Stokes recalls. “I just liked having the option.”

Despite the urging from the equipment dealer, it was an interested neighbor who got the no-till ball rolling.

“He called me up and asked if I could no-till his fields with my planter. I was a little curious, so I agreed. It worked so well for him, I had to try it myself,” laughs Stokes.

The next spring, Stokes no-tilled several small fields. The results were unbelievable.

Good No-Till Yields

“I never expected it to yield that much—it never had before,” he says.

And so the conversion began. Year after year, Stokes faithfully designated another field for no-till.

“When you have farmed conventionally for so long, it’s difficult to make the switch quickly,” says Stokes. “I just took it one day at a time.”

It wasn’t long before his entire farm was strictly no-till.

“I think at that point, my Dad thought I had completely lost my mind,” he chuckles.

No-Till Modifications

Reaching the point of 100 percent no-tillage wasn’t exactly a piece of cake, says Stokes. For more efficient no-tilling, a few modifications and adjustments needed to be made in his equipment.

“It was a good planter, but it kept hairpinning residue,” Stokes explains. “When the conditions weren’t ideal, it…