Recent approvals for two herbicides containing new formulations of dicamba offer no-tillers more options for over-the-top control of weeds in soybeans planted this spring. But those new labels won’t repair what happened when drift and yield loss occurred during the 2016 soybean growing season, due to growers in at least 10 states illegally using older versions of readily driftable dicamba to take advantage of the anticipated higher yield benefits with Monsanto’s new Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans.

No-tillers recognize the fact that the millions of microbes living underground in their fields are continually improving soil quality by cycling nutrients and turning residues into organic matter.

Ask Ross Bishop to describe his 21-year experience with no-till and he will sum it up for you in four words:

At last summer's University of Illinois agronomy day, Patrick Tranel offered a half dozen weed management predictions that could keep no-tillers awake at night in the future. As reported by Tom Doran in Illinois AgriNews, Tranel says the weed challenges you’ll be facing 5 years from now will be totally different than today.

While one of the numerous benefits of seeding cover crops is helping solve drainage concerns, a few no-tillers say it has actually created more drainage worries. The concern is that cover crop roots were blocking tile lines.

WITH EXTENSIVE concentrations of livestock production in the Northeast area of the U.S., this hasn’t been an area that’s seen a significant shift to no-till. But with area farmers facing a serious lack of rainfall and new nutrient management rules that practically mandate no-till, there’s more interest now than ever before.