With planting season not as far away as it might seem, editors at No-Till Farmer recently talked with Nebraska Extension ag engineer Paul Jasa about a range of topics related to no-tilling corn, soybeans and wheat.

Jasa continues the discussion he started in the March 2018 edition of No-Till Farmer on some of the important steps growers may want to consider in managing their no-till system — from designing a diverse no-till rotation, to choosing the right no-till corn hybrid to doing the little things right at harvest to manage residue ahead of planting.

6 What should no-tillers be striving for on their cropping rotation?

When it comes to rotations, one of the keys is diversity, because it helps with pest management, disease management and developing a healthier soil that is more resilient. It’s like you or me if we go to the restaurant and they’ve got a buffet there, so you spend all your time at the salad bar. Do you spend it all at the steak and potatoes? No, we’re going to get a variety of food. Well our soil likes a variety of food as well. Just like you and I like to eat throughout the year, so does our soil.

When I’m thinking about rotations, either with my cash crop or my cover crop, I want to include a warm-season grass, a cool-season grass, a warm-season legume and a cool-season legume. For many corn-and-soybean producers, they…