No-tillers in the Corn Belt have different opinions about different practices. But one thing no one will disagree about is no-till corn, and how much more effort this crop takes to produce when compared to no-tilling soybeans.

While some may be mulling over the possibility of narrow-row strip-tilling, no-tiller Joe Breker of Havana, N.D., decided to jot down on paper both the pros and the cons.

Concerned about the future of no-tilled corn, Illinois Department of Agriculture officials are launching a program aimed at expanding conservation tilled acres. The program will include research on the benefits of fall strip-tilling to overcome the cool, wet soil problems often found with no-till.

A veteran no-tiller who’s definitely been successful with both no-tilled corn and soybeans is Dean Holst of Le Claire, Iowa. He’s been so successful that he expected to no-till 5,000 acres of corn and soybeans this spring.