Saskatchewan farmers recognize the value of leaving direct seeded crop stubble standing, since it traps more snow than cut or chopped stubble. It’s especially important in western Canada where as much as one-third of the annual precipitation can come from winter snows, says Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association agrologist Tim Nerbas.

While the acres have leveled off nationally since the mid-1990s, a lot of farmers are having tremendous success with no-tilled corn.

Here are my thoughts on questions recently asked by No-Till Farmer readers. Remember that your particular farming circumstances may result in entirely different answers to these particular concerns.

The nitrate standard, which has long been set at 10 parts per million, does not accurately reflect real world situations. But it's probably here to stay, maintains Jay Lehr, senior scientist with Environmental Education Enterprises in Ostrander, Ohio.

In 5 years, Phil Robertson believes that no-tillers could be cashing in on carbon trading and tax incentives for carbon sequestration.

Within a brief period of time, no-tillers and other farmers within four counties in designated watersheds on Maryland's Western Shore applied for more than $350,000 of cost-sharing for seeding cover crops this fall.