David Legvold was born to teach. 2019 marked his 43rd year of farming and he would tell you that despite his decades of mentoring other farmers, his own education is still ongoing. Through work with educators in the state and his own ambition, Legvold has reduced input costs, boosted yields and refined his farming philosophy to focus on prolonged soil health — with strip-till being a key component.
Inspired by Howard G. Buffet, Legvold sees farming as an opportunity to implement change that benefits the environment and inspires others. Viewing his farm as a living, breathing laboratory of learning, where all are welcome to enhance their knowledge, he has hosted numerous farm groups worldwide, to share messages about strip-till and soil health.
He has also drawn on his professional teaching experience and natural curiosity to partner and learn from students at St. Olaf College and Carleton College through intense on-farm research including finding the most profitable nitrogen rate for strip-tilled corn and research on mycorrhizal fungi.
Return to National Strip-Tillage Conference Video Series
The 2019 National Strip-Tillage Conference Video Replay is brought to you by Ingersoll Tillage Group.
Download these helpful knowledge building tools
Independent on-farm researcher Marion Calmer checks in from Alpha, Ill., with a preview of his 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference presentation, “Did Strip-Till Solve My Nutrient Stratification Problems?” Over the last 5 years, Calmer has been examining fertility levels vertically in his soil profile. This inch-by-inch examination uncovered a serious nutrient stratification problem on his farm that was costing him up to $135,000 annually. The No-Till Legend switched back to strip-till in 2023 for the first time since 1995 in an effort to solve his nutrient stratification problems.
Montag products have proven results with patented precision metering application for significant savings of nutrients and cover crop seed, and for achieving best conservation practices.
