MEET THE FAMILY. John, Bruce, Mark and Jacob Watson. John and Jacob are the sons of Bruce and Mark, and are the next generation involved in the family’s no-till operation.

We’re launching a new regular feature in our twice-a-month Dryland No-Tiller newsletter. Mark Watson is a successful no-tiller in the Panhandle area of western Nebraska and has served as the Panhandle no-till education coordinator since 2007. He also serves as chairman of the Panhandle No-Till Partnership.

Mark and his brother Bruce, along with their two sons, no-till 3,500 acres north of Alliance, Neb. The farm has been in the Watson family for more than 100 years and has been continuously no-tilled since 1994.

The brothers no-till wheat, corn, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, proso millet and peas on both dryland and irrigated ground while making effective use of limited water supplies.

You’ll find Mark’s first column in our e-newsletter below, or click here. I’m sure growers in the Great Plains area, stretching from Texas to western Canada, will find Mark’s many years of no-till experiences to be of special interest.

— John Dobberstein, Managing Editor, Dryland No-Tiller