Thirty-inch rows still dominate U.S. corn production, accounting for nearly 90% of total acres, according to USDA estimates. But an increasing number of early adopters are looking at narrower rows to get more seeds in the soil and broaden profit margins.

Faced with expensive fertilizer prices, fickle weather and the threat of activist regulators, no-tillers are using nitrogen stabilizers and other nutrient enhancements more than ever to avoid the losses between application and crop uptake.

Last summer, when high temperatures in south-central Kansas spiraled above 100 F for several weeks, the benefits of cover crops never seemed so real for no-tillers like Ryan Speer.

The push to increase productivity and yields in agriculture has convinced an increasing number of no-tillers to explore one-pass planting and fertilizing systems.

Getting the soil back into shape wasn't the impetus for Jay Franklin’s no-till conversion more than 2 decades ago. As a young farmer facing tough times, he simply had his back against the wall.