A Washington no-tiller has designed an attachment that allows him to use a draper header on his tractor to swath and bale wheat stubble in one pass.

Taking extra time this summer to give strip-till equipment and precision technology a thorough tuneup could make a big difference in yields and farm profitability next year, experts say.

Having no-tilled for 8 years, Tim Goodenough has moved away from using anhydrous ammonia, 28 percent nitrogen and urea as nitrogen sources. Since 2005, he’s successfully used the ESN (Environmentally Smart Nitrogen) product. This polymer-coated nitrogen is a slow release product that is activated by moisture and heat, says the West Salem, Wis., grower who no-tills 1,300 acres.

With a one-pass operation that places seed and fertilizer into an otherwise undisturbed seedbed and packs the furrow, no-till systems shine when it comes to both better yields and disease control, says Andy Lenssen, a Montana State University entomologist.