Research conducted on your own farm can unlock more secrets that can lead to increased no-till profitability. But taking on such a project this spring will require some last-minute planning and commitment.

With that in mind, No-Till Farmer and Alpha, Ill., no-tiller Marion Calmer are spearheading a project — “The No-Till Yardstick” — that encourages you to conduct your own onfarm research and share the results for the benefit of other no-tillers.

No-Till Challenge

Calmer challenged this year’s National No-Tillage Conference (NNTC) attendees to generate more independent farmer research, maintaining it has no hidden agenda.

Calmer will pay the 2013 NNTC registration for the first five no-tillers that send valid research data next fall from new projects on their farm. No-Till Farmer will match his offer with another five free NNTC registrations for the 21st annual conference that will be held January 9 to 12 in Indianapolis.

$50,000 Return

Calmer says managing extensive plots on his farm requires only one extra day in the fall and spring, and netted an extra $50,000 in profits last year. With the 20 hours it took to establish and manage the plots, that’s a $2,500-per-hour return on investment.

“The statement I’ve heard from accountants is that you can’t improve on things that you don’t measure,” Calmer says. “I believe people who came to the NNTC this winter want to improve their operations. This is one way they can teach themselves, at their own farms, better methods that will bring better environmental conditions and better…