NO-TILLERS WHO ARE already utilizing cover crops should be interested in a proposed pilot program that might help them trim crop insurance costs in the years ahead. The goal of the proposed National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) program is to reward growers who find ways to reduce the risk for crop losses and protect the environment with increased use of cover crops.

As of early spring, growers in California’s highly productive San Joaquin Valley didn’t expect to receive a single drop of surface irrigation water this year. That’s because of the “0 irrigation water allocation” posted by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation due to a lack of snow in the state’s mountain areas that would normally end up in canals as extremely valuable irrigation water.

When it comes to acquiring new land, the Rulon family at Arcadia, Ind., follows an intensive 3-year plan to make the switch to no-till.