With the drought having a major impact on yields and profits in many areas this year, farmers who no-till likely banked more dollars than neighbors using more intensive tillage practices.

With much of the country suffering from a lack of moisture, it’s a good time to think about the many benefits no-till offers in capturing valuable moisture from snow cover. This is also linked to the height of standing stubble left in your no-tilled fields after harvest and the impact it can have on capturing winter moisture.

While he doesn't pretend to be an expert on no-tillage, Jim Budzynski has been around agriculture a long time. As a result, the Carmel, Ind., agronomist and soil scientist has developed four “E” barriers to the adoption of any major change in agricultural practices.

When Monsanto announced in late May that it was acquiring Precision Planting, an Illinois-based developer and marketer of seed meters, monitoring and precision farming technology, the news created a ripple effect in the farm world.

Profit is likely the most important factor that influences a grower’s decision to adopt conservation practices such as no-till. While numerous studies have shown higher yields and profits when moving away from extensive tillage practices, other studies have shown a reduction in yields when shifting to no-till.

While leafing through a Plow & Hearth catalog a few days ago, I spotted a unique product that made me think of the many benefits of no-tilling.

As increased levels of dissolved phosphorus are identified as a major concern dealing with the increased algal blooms found in Lake Erie, some folks have been pointing a finger at no-till as the cause. Yet the facts regarding phosphorus runoff in the Western Lake Erie Basin watershed near Toledo, Ohio, don't back up that argument.

Widespread planting of genetically modified Bt corn in the upper Midwest has significantly reduced losses from European corn borer damage. Even growers that don’t plant transgenic corn have benefitted from neighboring use of these products.

It's coming up on 40 years since we produced the first issue of No-Till Farmer. The first issue that went out in November of 1972 featured reduced-tillage innovators who are still no-tilling today.

While cover crops are becoming more popular among no-tillers, you’d better take a closer look at how the practice may impact crop insurance payments. Unfortunately, cover crops could inadvertently terminate your crop insurance coverage.