Jack Maloney used to be your typical farmer when it came to managing soil and fertility. He relied heavily on his local co-op for recommendations — after all, their agronomists had spent years in school studying science, chemistry and biology.

When I was in high school, I had a desire to farm, but just didn’t have the chance. However, I never gave up on that dream.

Cleaner air may be good for no-tillers’ health, but it’s not necessarily good for the health of their crops.

Larry Bonnell is living proof that no-till is the ideal tool for small-acreage farmers.

Fertilizer was a painful input for most no-tillers in 2008. Growing world demand (up 14% — a growth equal to the entire U.S. market, according to The Fertilizer Institute), high production costs, increased transportation expense and a faltering U.S. dollar all contributed to record-high prices for major nutrients.