No-tillers have a stake in the production of ethanol. Currently, most ethanol is produced from corn, which has driven up demand and prices. But the consensus among researchers is that corn grain eventually will be replaced by other raw materials, possibly including crop residue, which could a revenue source for no-tillers.

The still-germinating carbon credits market favors no-tillers, who ought to get on board early to make the most of the long-term financial rewards. That’s the advice from Mark Wilson, president of Land Stewards, a Columbus, Ohio-based consulting firm hired by the non-profit Ohio No-Till Council to study the subject.

Two recently released research studies reinforce the existing body of scientific evidence that 2,4-D does not present a cancer risk to farmers and pesticide applicators.

Let's get one thing straight. Sequestering carbon in our soils is not likely to happen unless farmers no-till.

Carbon credits, carbon sequestration, carbon storage - they're all hot topics around coffee shops and grain elevators everywhere.

Editor' Note: There was plenty of interest among attendees at the eighth annual National No-Tillage Conference in Des Moines regarding carbon credits. Because of these concerns, we asked Pete Hill to answer the most typical questions asked by no-tillers. Hill is an agronomist with Monsanto in Urbandale, Iowa, and has followed carbon sequestrian issues very closely.