Having no-tilled since 1972, Paul Schaffert has learned a few things while growing corn, wheat, soybeans, sunflowers, milo and grain sorghum on a 2,000-acre irrigated and dryland farm in Indianola, Neb. The lessons have come even harder recently, because the area, which normally receives 10 to 17 inches of rain each year, has been suffering through a drought for the past several years and irrigation is now restricted to 13 inches per year.

While moderating A Roundtable at last winter's National No-Tillage Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, Paul Schaffert, a no-tiller and owner of Schaffert Manufacturing, fielded a question from a no-tiller who was having a difficult time getting his John Deere 750 drill into the ground. The farmer was hoping for some advice, but no one had an answer.

When you turn to pages 12 and 13 in this issue, you'll find an article on the pros and cons of trimming part of the plastic tail off the Keeton seeding attachment to improve your no-till planting efficiency.