My question today is, if cover crops are so good, why don’t more farmers like them?

Alex Frasier remembers taking naps as a little kid in the tractor while his dad Jayme was driving around, working the field. Fast forward to 2024 and the Faulkton, S.D., no-tiller is working with his dad on the farm, interseeding cover crops into no-till soybeans with Jayme’s blessing.

Grazing is considered by many to be the final step in the “holy grail” of soil health, but for some no-tillers, it can be the most daunting step to take.

The future of Loran Steinlage's operation and the agriculture industry weighed on the No-Till Innovator throughout 2023. David Brandt, Steinlage’s mentor and close friend, died unexpectedly in May, leaving Steinlage with a mission to carry on Brandt’s vision to create a farmer-to-farmer learning center in southwestern Wisconsin.

Wade Dooley has done plenty of official experiments with the Iowa Soybean Association, Practical Farmers of Iowa and other groups that conduct research and development in agriculture. But when the Marshall County, Iowa, grower decided to try seeding rye every single month, there was nothing official about it.