Dalton, Neb., no-tiller Mark Ernest uses a one-pass planting and fertilizing system, diverse crop rotation and careful residue management to fight erosion and get higher yields with minimal rainfall.

Conserving soil and improving the bottom line is a win-win scenario for Clay Center, Kan., no-tiller Josh Lloyd.

Other crops make more money than wheat for Palco, Kan., no-tiller Mike McClellan, but its residue increases the yields and profitability of the other crops in the 5-year rotation.

I’m the fourth generation to manage McClure Farms in the area of southwestern Kansas that is depicted as the heart of the 1930’s Dust Bowl.

Southwest Oklahoma is considered wheat country, but one no-tiller is working to change that perception.

The first time i heard about no-tilling was at Kansas State University in 1973. We talked about studies being done in Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and other places where no-till first took hold. I came home from those discussions and thought about putting no-till to work on our farm, but we faced a tough challenge. Based on KSU’s no-till handbook, our clay soils (shallow topsoil, super-tight subsoil) are classified as “needing special management” for no-till.

We have a lot going on at one time on our sixth generation southwestern Missouri crop and livestock farm. We milk 100 Holsteins, manage 200 Red and Black Angus crossbred beef cows, background the yearlings and grow all the feed we need on 1,200 acres of ground.