While drilling is one of the best ways to seed and establish cover crops, it sometimes means waiting too long to seed corn and soybean acres.

Ever since David Legvold began farming land owned by St. Olaf College at Northfield, Minn., about 9 years ago, he’s worked with university professors and students to document the impacts of tillage and crop inputs on profitability, soil health and water quality.

While the fear of failure keeps many farmers from pulling the trigger on game-changing decisions, the lessons of conservation farming were drilled into Blake Vince’s head by his father at an early age.

Jermey Tuttle knows all about the benefits that strip-tillers in the Corn Belt cite about the practice, ranging from saving fuel and reducing erosion to precision placement of fertilizer.

Taking extra time this summer to give strip-till equipment and precision technology a thorough tuneup could make a big difference in yields and farm profitability next year, experts say.

No-tillers growing continuous corn often face a dilemma when residue piles up in their fields after harvest, leaving a mat that can keep soils cold and wet and make planting difficult.

For successful results in strip-till, fertilizer needs to be placed in a zone where the roots and seedlings of corn can readily access plant-food nutrients.

Until 2 decades ago, farmers throughout the Corn Belt didn't need to worry about their fields having enough sulfur, a nutrient that is essential to photosynthesis in plants,

When New Market, Iowa, farmer Kelly Tobin began no-tilling in 1979, he relied on atrazine for corn and 2,4-D for soybeans.