The hall was buzzing at the recent eighth annual National No-Tillage Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. It was here that 715 no-tillers gathered to exchange ideas and learn new ways to boost their yields and add bushels of income per acre. This year's crowd certainly wasn't let down as they absorbed new ideas that can be put to immediate use. Here are some of the best.

There's no doubt about it: emotions run high at the annual National No-Tillage Conference. Why? Because no-tillers are passionate about what they do and how they do it. Taking home a wrong idea and implementing it could cost thousands of dollars, or worse, could cause the farm to fold.

Nobody likes the jerks and jolts of driving the tractor and sprayer over ruts, rows or bumps in the no-tilled fields. It's not easy on the body and it certainly isn't easy on equipment.

It's hard to believe, but in a few parts of the country, there are still counties where not a soul no-tills. It was this situation that prompted the Umatilla River Soil and Water Conservation district and others to contact the Regional Geographic Initiative Group (RGI) funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

If there's anything that Jim Leverich isn’t, it’s a follower.