In the 40 years I’ve been tracking no-till, soil biology has never received as much attention as it does today. As no-tillers refine their systems, more are recognizing the importance of doing a better job of managing the millions of critters living under the soil surface.

When it comes to ranking the most important developments in American agriculture over the past 75 years, a panel of conservationists recently placed no-till right at the top of the list.

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.

Growing up on a six-generation, family-owned dairy farm in Michigan, I remember helping my dad seed clover in the fall after harvesting corn silage. The goal was to produce some cheap fertilizer, protect the ground from winter erosion and mellow the soil prior to moldboard plowing, discing and planting in the spring.

Serious conflicts among government farm program and crop-insurance rules, regarding last fall’s seeding of cover crops, could lead to serious concerns regarding qualification for this year’s payments.

When farmers are having planting difficulties, Alan Byerly says too many growers think the answer is to simply add more attachments. But the service manager for Precision Equipment in Washington, Iowa, says getting back to the basics of planting should be the first step before spending more dollars.