If seed isn't planted correctly, no-tillers can expect to lose yield before the crop even emerges from the ground. Achieving high-yielding crops begins with a planter that is properly equipped, maintained and adjusted for field conditions.

When planting is done and crops begin to emerge, no-tillers have a chance to evaluate how well their planter has performed — including whether the unit’s closing wheels are doing the job closing the seed slot.

Given the importance of uniform emergence and a good plant stand, fine-tuning your no-till planter should be a must before spring arrives. Dave Moeller, an experienced no-tiller and ag consultant who operates Moeller Ag service in Keota, Iowa, offers the following guidelines for getting your planter ready.

I tell my neighbors that I don’t want to farm anymore. I just want to farm smarter. That philosophy was the reason we went with no-till in 1986, and it’s the driving force behind other steps that we’ve taken to make farming more efficient and profitable.

It took me almost 12 years to learn that you can’t dabble with no-tilling. You either have to commit 100 percent or forget about it.

This year's National No-Tillage Conference raised interesting questions on whether or not no-tilled corn will be profitable in 2001. Four panelists joined forces to bring no-tillers 22 different tips on how to make no-tilling corn profitable.