With the climate becoming warmer, no-tillers are in a much better position to turn limited amounts of rainfall into higher yields than neighbors who are still using intensive tillage.

With a new administration taking over in Washington, climate change is going to get much more attention. In fact, the new presidential team has already committed to helping farmers expand the use of no-till, cover crops and carbon sequestration in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

I’ve always felt no-tillers tend to be more optimistic and happier than the general farm population. Like everyone else in farming, you don’t like low commodity prices, dealing with numerous government regulations and ever-increasing input costs. At the same time, no-tillers don’t seem to get as concerned or complain as much about things they can’t control.

AT 29 YEARS OF AGE, Nick Jorgensen has never operated any tillage equipment. Inspired by the native prairie system in south central South Dakota, his family began implementing no-till practices in the 1980s that are now helping them dramatically trim costs.

Data from several surveys conducted this year by No-Till Farmer shows no-tillers are years ahead of growers using other tillage practices when it comes to cover crop adoption.

While no-till was pioneered here in the states, our conversion has been gradual when compared with a few other countries.

WITH A GREATER emphasis on the role agriculture can play in improving the environment, non-farming land owners are showing more interest in no-till and cover crops for the benefits they can generate in terms of improving the soil and boosting long-term production potential.