Got weeds? Calcium may be part of the solution as it has been for Oldham, S.D., no-tiller Ron Kaufman.

Over the years since my dad started no-tilling in 1978, we’ve had a lot to learn — and not much of a growing season to learn it in. On our extreme northern farm that is less than 30 miles south of the Canadian border, we’re lucky to get 90 to 110 frost-free days, creating a situation not unlike Siberia (our average January temperature is minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit). This year we even had snow on May 11.

Rick Heintzman's story truly is the American dream. No-tilling from his 4,000-acre farm in Onaka, S.D., Heintzman has gone from selling flaxseed at $3.50 per bushel at the elevator to selling the same bushel for hundreds and even thousands of dollars through creative marketing.