“In 20-inch rows I added narrow-profile Yetter SharkTooth row cleaners this year and next year I plan to add Precision Planting’s CleanSweep technology to the row cleaners to adjust them on the go and not move as much soil and more of just the residue.

With nearly 7,200 acres, including 3,500 acres of corn, along the Missouri-Iowa border, Gary Porter has taken many opportunities to test and incorporate different practices into his cropping operation.

When compacted soils become a problem, as they can anywhere in the country, cover crops can be an effective solution, according to experienced no-till farmers. But you need to know which crop will work in your area to provide the kind of long tap roots needed. Visitors to Farmer’s Forum, the message board of No-Till Farmer, offered a number of possibilities recently. We share their ideas here, as well as thoughts about an assortment of other topics.

When i started no-tilling, I felt a renewed sense of energy and excitement about farming. I’m guessing a lot of fledgling no-tillers get that same feeling.

Eight years after jumping into no-till, Paul Reed and his three brothers had just about had it. “We almost quit no-tilling in 1990,” says Reed, explaining that as they expanded their no-till acreage, they also saw their planting window shrinking.

Now is the best time of year to utilize the No-Till Farmer Web site message board, Farmer’s Forum, at www.no-tillfarmer.com.