No-tillers definitely understand the value of leaving residue in their corn fields. They recognize that corn stalks, leaves, husks and cobs help reduce soil losses, provide cheap nutrients, trim greenhouse emission levels, boost moisture levels, help organic matter, improve soil quality, reduce compaction and increase crop productivity.

When a no-tiller buys farm ground in some locations, such as the lake plain of northwest Ohio dominated by heavy clay, there isn’t much hope of changing the soil’s texture or mineralogy.

As more farmers gravitate toward collecting and analyzing precision data to make better management decisions, there are numerous pitfalls to watch out for.

Many farmers recognize that no-tilled ground is probably worth more than land farmed with more intensive tillage. Yet there’s little evidence that indicates no-tilled ground brings a premium price when a farm goes on the sale block.