Let’s go from Vincennes, Ind., to Williamsport, Ind., where fellow No-Till Innovator Rick Clark has reached what some consider the holy grail — his 7,000 acres are 100% no-till, 100% organic and 100% free of synthetic nutrients, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. Clark gives us a look at what his soil looks like on a late fall day.

Corn harvest is about 50% done and soybeans are at 67% according to the October 13 USDA Crop Progress Report. Let’s talk about the phantom yield loss phenomenon, which is the loss of potential corn yields when some parts of a field are harvested later than others. Our Conservation Ag Operator Fellow Ray McCormick found a way to avoid phantom yield loss on his farm in southern Indiana.

On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, Vincennes, Ind., No-Till Innovator Ray McCormick explains how he cracked the phantom yield code on his farm.

For this 2025 National No-Tillage Conference preview, No-Till Innovator Marion Calmer checks in from his Alpha, Ill., farm with a preview of his 2025 National No-Tillage Conference (NNTC) presentation.

For this 2025 National No-Tillage Conference preview, No-Till Living Legend Ray McCormick checks in from Vincennes, Ind., with a look at how he’s seeding cover crops from the combine.

Turning now to our Video of the Week. This one comes to us from Cantril, Iowa, where third-generation farmer Bradley Zimmerman puts his grandpa Raymond Zimmerman’s prototypes to the test. Raymond is the founder of Zimmerman Manufacturing, which makes strip-till bars, low-disturbance manure and nitrogen applicators and more.

A no-tiller in the southeast is stepping up big time to help those in need after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

Let’s kick things off at the University of Wisconsin, where they’re on Year 34 of the Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial (WISCT). The purpose is to evaluate a broad range of ag systems common to the Midwest and see how they stack up to each other in terms of yield and economic returns.

On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, Gregg Sanford, Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial manager, reveals how no-till is stacking up to other major systems in year 34 of the trial.

Wrapping things up with our Video of the Week, featuring the owner of Truax Company, Jim Truax. He’ll be presented with the No-Till Innovator of the Year award in the business category at the National No-Tillage Conference in January. Our Mike Lessiter paid Jim a visit and asked him for his biggest takeaway from a career of no-till innovation.