Maybe I'm crazy. I hope not. I’ve always thought of myself as a rational person. But I was hesitant to believe that any no-tiller could cut his no-till acres from 10,000 acres to 3,600, sell a line of equipment, cut back on chemical applications and increase his profit margin.

Heavy rainfall and flooding in many Midwest fields in 1993 prompted farmers and others to ask about soil compaction and the need for preplant tillage prior to planting the following year. On five Iowa farms that experienced excessive rainfall, U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers compared shallow, moderate and deep tillage and evaluated their effects on soil compaction and crop yields.

Here are my thoughts on recently asked questions by No-Till Farmer readers. Remember that your particular farming circumstances may result in entirely different answers to these particular concerns which were voiced by readers.

Just back from an exciting 4-day tour of Manitoba agriculture, here are a few observations on farming and no-tilling north of our border.

Despite concerns about global warming, no-tillers have already helped American agriculture turn the corner. It’s good news not only for farmers, but environmentalists as well.