When avid hunter and outdoorsman Tom Cannon was in his mid-20s, he experimented with no-till and interseeded food plots to attract white-tailed deer and other game on his family’s ranch near the small town of Newkirk in north-central Oklahoma.

When Loran Steinlage hears someone say, “I want to be where you are” when it comes to interseeding, he says it’s a sure sign that person is setting themselves up for failure. It takes patience and practice to set the groundwork. 

What I’m doing isn’t for the faint of heart. I not only want to farm, I want to be profitable, take care of the soil, water and wildlife and make sure my children and grandchildren can keep farming in the future. Doing things the right way — not just the easiest or most profitable in the right here and right now — is what I want to achieve.

ENTERING uncharted waters this year as a virtual program, the 29th National No-Tillage Conference (NNTC) was still a major success online as it attracted hundreds of attendees from all over North America and internationally who wanted to learn how to boost their no-till knowledge.

THIS MAY SOUND crazy for a 72-year-old to say, but I can’t retire because I’m at the top of my game. My soil is the best it’s ever been.