No-tillers logged hundreds or even thousands of miles to network, learn and inquire as the 19th annual National No-Tillage Conference (NNTC) in Cincinnati went down as a record-setting event.

Three experienced scientists say soil pits are another tool no-tillers can use to examine soil structure, root development, compaction, soil quality and other important agronomical issues.

The main reason I went into no-till was — as it is for many other no-tillers — due to labor issues. My Dad had a heart attack in 2000 and wasn’t able to help as much anymore. I was just killing myself trying to keep up with farming and the cattle and everything else.

Success is bound to come when even the performance of water is held to a higher standard as it is on Keith Schlapkohl’s Stockton, Iowa, farm.

The Shirley Plantation traces its roots back to 1613 as the oldest continuous farming operation in North America. Charles Carter, the 11th generation of the family, says it has turned into an extremely diversified, highly innovative no-till operation.