Taking the "long view" of farming comes more naturally to some growers than it does for others. But for Brian Gunderson it may come more naturally because his farm in Waterford, Wis., has been in the family for 170 years.

Some farmers dive headlong into changing their tillage practices. John Macauley, who farms 1,200 acres with his father, Jim, in Groveland, N.Y., is proof that transitioning to no-till can be done in steps.

Weeds were one of the first challenges we faced when my father made the switch to no-till. Learning to manage weeds has been a critical part of our no-till success, and continues to be an important area for our management attention.

Some 25 years ago, the Hundley farm at Champlain, Va., was a modest operation at just 300 acres. Today, with the help of no-till, Jay and Robert Hundley have grown their acreage 20 times to a bustling corn, soybeans and small grains operation of 6,000 acres.