Conservation farming is revolutionizing agriculture through the adoption of new ideas, technology and practices. Direct seeding (no-tilling) is just one of these new practices that is reforming the way that we farm.

Known as the glue that holds humus to soil particles, a gooey substance called glomalin plays a critical role in the success of your no-till program.

Monsanto has received full U.S. regulatory clearance for the first biotech corn designed to control corn rootworm. The company announced in late February that both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cleared YieldGard Rootworm for use in corn hybrids for resistance to this insect. Licensing the technology to other seed companies means a number of corn hybrids containing this technology will be available for no-tilling this spring.

If next spring’s planting season turns wet, Randall Reeder says no-tillers who use controlled traffic may be ahead of their neighbors. The Ohio State University agricultural engineer says it might let you no-till quicker despite wet conditions that normally delay planting.

Eight years after jumping into no-till, Paul Reed and his three brothers had just about had it. “We almost quit no-tilling in 1990,” says Reed, explaining that as they expanded their no-till acreage, they also saw their planting window shrinking.

Rather than causing major compaction concerns, Lloyd Murdock credits long-term no-till with being able to solve many of your more troublesome soil worries. That’s what the University of Kentucky soil scientist learned from a recent 5-year study that looked at no-till and soil compaction as reported in a recent Soybean Digest article.