With the concentrated dairy industry in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, crops there are often grown on land fertilized with liquid manure that is hauled into the fields in tanker loads. While the manure is valuable for its nutrients and organic matter, the weight of the tankers concerns those who understand the dangers of soil compaction.

The potential for nitrogen loss in no-till presents you with both a problem and an opportunity, maintains Sam Ferguson, a customer agronomist with Dow AgroSciences in Omaha, Neb.

When it comes to learning what it takes to turn out profitable corn yields, many no-tillers find they learn a great deal from having contest plots on their farms.

For Mike Guetterman, who farms 7,000 no-till acres with his father and brothers, small details make a big difference in the success of a continuous no-till program.

Deep-banding fertilizer sounded like a great idea to Brad Mathson when he first heard about it. However, participating in a no-till club saved him from spending $30,000 to find out that it probably isn’t the best way to increase no-till yields in his operation.

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.

Are you ready for as high as 100-bushel yields in your no-till soybean fields? Don’t think those figures are so far-fetched, as research being done in Ohio indicates such no-till yields are possible.