Critics of proven conservation practices like no-till, strip-till or cover crop seeding often complain there’s no evidence of material benefits to a farmer’s bottom line — that the only thing that matters is yield.

In the first part of this two-part podcast, brought to you by Montag Mfg. Co., cover crop educator and Pennsylvania no-tiller Steve Groff will talk about the mindset necessary to be successful in adopting cover crops in a no-till system.

Davie Stephens of Wingo, Ky., talks about how no-till has prevented erosion and built soil tilth and health over the past few decades. Stephens' father started no-till in the late 1970s, and after Stephens joined him in 1988, they went to 100% no-till in the early 1990s. Stephens also explains how no-till drove them to adopting cover crops so they could continue building soil health and preventing soil erosion.