The spraying bills were adding up for Miles Willhite. He felt that the mounting expenses — creeping into the five-figure realm — to spray chemicals, including application costs, were outweighing the benefits of no-tilling on what was then a 300-acre farm in Leon, Kan.

Texas no-tiller Tommy Henderson is investing in his soil now so when wheat prices turn around, his fields will be prepared to grow higher yielding crops.