The no-till movement seems to be going strong across South Dakota. That’s the conclusion, at least, of this year’s South Dakota Cropping Systems Inventory, which is a statistical ‘snapshot in time’ for the types of cropping systems farmers are using in the state.

The South Health Institute plans to establish national baselines for soil health, build knowledge of soil-health economics, offer educational programs and coordinate research on the topic.

The latest round of taxpayer funds aimed at the declining Ogallala Aquifer shows why no-tilling, cover crops, precision irrigation and prescription grazing will be extremely important tools for farmers in the years ahead.

Cover crop adoption has been a little slower in parts of the Great Plains, possibly more over fear of the unknown than actual poor outcomes seen by growers. But researchers reviewing decades of cover-crop studies say there are plenty of benefits to covers, whether you farm in the warm southern Plains or cooler prairies of western Canada.

Early termination, inclusion of legume species and a little patience might be what’s needed to make green manures and cover crops work in the drier areas of the U.S. without dinging yields and profits.