The Gallatin Valley is a bustling place. Snug in the shadow of towering Rocky Mountain peaks, the valley is home to Montana State University, the hip and thriving town of Bozeman and a diverse, often progressive community of farmers — ranging from container hydroponic growers of salad greens to large-scale commercial producers — that make it feel more like a California valley than one in Montana.

Cotton may not be thought of a crop that is associated with no-till practices, but in parts of the southern Plains growers are using no-till systems to protect the soil and young cotton seedlings, improve emergence and log better yields.

It’s not uncommon to see farmers in Montana disc rip, plow, roll, level and ridge their fields to raise sugarbeets — even ridging a second time if wind or storms either flatten or wash away the ridges.