As you can see we are at the birthplace of the tillage radish, yes I am on Steve Groff’s farm in Holtwood, Pennsylvania and speaking of which, we’re going to toss it off to Steve right now for some cover crop action.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, managing editor Michaela Paukner takes us inside the CTIC Conservation in Action Tour in northeast Arkansas, where she quickly learns that conservation ag means more than just no-till in the region. Local farmer Ryan Sullivan explains why he’s struggled to make no-till a profitable practice in his operation. We also hear from northeast Wisconsin no-tiller Andy Benson who shares his biggest takeaways from the tour.

On this edition of the Cover Crop Connection, associate editor Mackane Vogel pays a visit to Jay Baxter’s farm in Georgetown, Del. The no-tiller takes us to one of his fields and shows how multiple cover crops species, including hairy vetch, buckwheat and winter annuals, are helping his soils retain moisture during a dry stretch.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, no-tillers from across the world weigh in on the million-dollar question, “How do you control slugs?”

This week we’re going to hear from USDA research agronomist Jose Franco as he discusses alternatives to only using cereal rye as a winter cover crop in the Upper Midwest. Some of these alternatives include triticale, hairy vetch and winter camelina.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, find out how several no-tillers are handling a wet month across parts of the Corn Belt. Central Illinois no-tiller Dave Brown is patiently waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate before he can finish up planting several hundred acres, while Wisconsin no-tiller Tyler Troiola deals with a tractor glitch and a 2-inch rain event in one day.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Westville, Ind., no-tiller Jeff Herrold provides an update on how planting is going so far, and why a potential problem with slugs is causing some early-season anxiety. Herrold also explains why he prefers to plant soybeans before corn.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, precision specialist Chad Baker, co-owner of Baker Precision Planter Works in Orangeville, Ill., helps a first-generation no-tiller with planter setup, and later encounters a couple problems with a strip-tiller’s new 24-row planter. Plus, veteran agronomist Brad Forkner checks in with a couple tips for farmers to keep in mind before they take the field.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin Till, Vincennes, Ind., no-tiller Ray McCormick explains why it’s going to be tough to “not lose a lot of money this year” on corn. Plus, we ask our readers, “On a scale of 1-10, how concerned are you about drought this year?” Hear why some farmers are worried, and why others aren’t very worried at all.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, growers from across the U.S. share their predictions for the upcoming planting season, including one no-tiller who’s “bullish” about a great spring.