I recently attended Ohio’s annual winter No-Till Conference and picked up several tips from some new and veteran no-till professionals. Held in early December, conference attendance was tremendous with more than 200 participants — a testament to increasing interest in no-till by many producers. Here is a quick look at some of the information picked up by Ohio no-tillers.

With skyrocketing input prices like seed and fertilizer, it pays to measure your production and more closely manage your inputs. One of my favorite management slogans is, “Measure to manage.” Without measuring your inputs and yields, it’s really hard to manage to the highest level of profit.

Considering the large increases in commodity and fertilizer prices, fine-tuning your fertilization program will definitely pay big dividends. Soil testing and yield monitoring are essential in helping you determine your crop’s fertilizer needs.

Managing your crop residue properly can have a large impact on the success of your no-till operation.

Now's a great time to head out to your no-till fields and scout for weeds, insects and other pests. Many of you will be putting on your second pass of herbicides and/or applying a second pass where it turned out that the one-pass weed control system wasn’t adequate.