The story of no-till is regarded by many as among the biggest advancements in farming since the tractor replaced the draft horse. That wasn’t always the case. The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.

In its first year alone, 238 farmers enrolled, covering more than 78,000 acres, pushing the initiative closer to its goal of doubling cover crop adoption to 30 million acres across the U.S. by 2030.

The U.S Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Nevada is offering financial and technical assistance to help agricultural producers apply conservation practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Classic (EQIP Classic) and Inflation Reduction Act (EQIP IRA), and the Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA). More than $16 million is available to producers through EQIP and AMA.

Whether growers are just looking to tweak their no-till operation or planning for big changes, there will be something for nearly everyone at the 33^rd annual National No-Tillage Conference that kicks off in January. The full program has been released for the 2025 conference, which is scheduled for Jan. 7-10 in at the Marriott Downtown in Louisville, Ky.

Move residue, debris and any vegetation from the soil surface at the sample site. Failing to do so may cause an incorrect (too high) organic matter measurement.

Drought conditions, paired with high winds, are causing an increased fire threat. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of the High Plains are in some level of drought. At the same time, corn harvest is ongoing and there’s always a risk of an equipment-related fire could start.

A recent report from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service has some interesting insights on the benefits of crop rotations, but researchers caution the “long view” is needed to fully capitalize on such improvements.