Ongoing research at the University of Wisconsin has given us insight about the production and economic differences between chisel plow, strip-till and no-till. Dick Wolkowski, Department of Soil Science, has researched these conservation-tillage systems for more than 10 years.

Myron Wehr asks questions. Most recently, he’s asking about the right fertilization program for his 1,900-acre farm in New Waterford, Ohio, and the several hundred acres he no-tills and harvests for neighbors. So he’s hosting an Ohio State University research project comparing his regular nitrogen program with fall and spring applications, both broadcast and incorporated, of manure and nitrogen. The results favor incorporated manure.

Maybe I'm crazy. I hope not. I’ve always thought of myself as a rational person. But I was hesitant to believe that any no-tiller could cut his no-till acres from 10,000 acres to 3,600, sell a line of equipment, cut back on chemical applications and increase his profit margin.