Clayton Coulter is a young man of purpose and it doesn’t take a long visit with him to realize the self-directed momentum that led him to launch his own farm at 24 years old as a strip-tiller for corn production — on land that had been 100% conventionally farmed for years.

Dr. Joel Gruver of Western Illinois recaps his presentation, Bio Strip-Till: The Best of Both Worlds, at the 2023 National Strip-Tillage Conference. Gruver details how cover crops and soil biology can help strip-tillers reach their agronomic goals.

John Potter was looking for a way to reduce labor on his west central Illinois farm when he decided to become a strip-tiller nearly 20 years ago.

This live panel is a joint presentation of ETS/Soil Warrior and ForGround by Bayer, two leaders in regenerative agriculture and preserving soil health. Experts from ETS and ForGround will lead an in-depth discussion about the benefits of integrating cover crops with strip-tillage, and how both companies support farmers who do. Plus, a farmer with firsthand knowledge of the practices will be on hand to talk about his motivations, challenges and results.

Precise placement, intensive soil-sampling and cover crop experiments help cut New York strip-tiller Donn Branton’s fertilizer rates in half and significantly boost corn yields over 40-year career.

When Craig Taylor decided to reduce machinery costs on his 725-acre corn and soybean farm in west central Illinois, he was convinced to move to no-till farming. But he also experimented with his crop service provider’s strip-till bar and liked the results.