Productive topics are consistently on the agenda for attendees at the annual no-till event, debuting in Wichita, Kan., for the first time in 2018.

A 2017 USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education national survey of farmers showed that cover crops boosted subsequent wheat yields by 1.9 bushels per acre, or 2.8%.

Oklahoma producer Merlin Schantz is interested in conserving water and energy as well as being a good steward of the land and resources, and that's one reason he and other farmers have agreed to participate in a unique program that looks at both the water and energy consumption related to irrigation, says Oklahoma State University Extension.

Jill Clapperton, Christine Jones will headline annual event that will focus on developments in soil health and practices used by regenerative growers.

In case you missed it, yet another powerful testimonial to the benefits of no-till practices aired recently, this time on a major cable TV channel.

Considering the variability that likely exists within a field because of inherent soil formation factors and past production practices, no-tillers should have an objective clearly in mind when collecting a representative soil samples, says Kansas State University Extension.

Scientists report significant strides are being made in transferring disease- and stress-resistance traits from wild relatives of several legumes to their domesticated varieties, says the Crop Science Society of America.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have discovered a ribonucleic acid, or RNA, that could help illuminate a new pathway to engineering drought- and salt-tolerant plants, including food crops.

Growers shouldn't start planting winter wheat much earlier than the best pest management planting date, as it could increase the risk of yield losses from insects and diseases, excessive fall growth or higher-than-desired soil temperatures, says Kansas State University Extension.

Studies about cover crops from many of the semi-arid Great Plains have been cautionary or conditional, owing to potential concerns about soil moisture or nutrient use from covers seeded ahead of cash crops.