Recognized for their successful fertility practices, Jake Kaderly of Monticello, Wis., Stuart Lawrence of Rosetown, Saskatchewan and Richard Lyons of Harvel, Ill., were honored as the 10th class of Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners at the 2018 National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville.

When Kody Karloff transitioned from no-till to strip-till 2 years ago, he hoped the move would minimize early-season inconsistencies with corn and soybean emergence. Farming 3,200 acres of rolling hills and sloping ground in Yutan, Neb., one of the challenges Karloff encountered during 15 years of no-till was finding an ideal intersection between his planting window and field conditions.

Moisture savings is what first sparked C. Dale Sybesma, my father, to be interested in no-till. In our flat southeastern corner of South Dakota, moisture is often a challenge.

Remember the simple days when high-tech in the field meant having a tractor with air conditioning and a radio? Today, cabs are positively teeming with technology.

My first “no-tilling” experiences were in 1989 when I planted soybeans directly into old corn rows. I saw immediate labor and fuel savings and harvested yields that were consistent with conventional tilling.