Nitrogen costs keep rising, forcing no-tillers to examine fertilization program options and their impact on crops and the bottom line. For some no-tillers, liquid livestock manure might be an option — if they can overcome concerns about odors or the feasibility of incorporation.

As a spirited young farmer, Von Mohler drove from Sidney, Ohio, to Hopkinsville, Ky., to see no-tiller Harry Young. He didn’t find Young, but did see impressive no-till fields.