More than 600 of the most innovative farmers in North America and around the globe came together in Louisville, Ky., for the 33rd annual National No-Tillage Conference (NNTC) to take in knowledge of cutting-edge production practices and recharge for the coming growing year.

From drones to cover crops to planting tips and tricks and more, the conference brought together farmers from many different types of climates and production systems. Attendees representing nearly three-dozen states and provinces and the countries of Australia, Canada, Hungary, Italy and New Zealand spent 4 days absorbing knowledge and networking at the event. Here are some highlights. 

1. Break Out Check Strips for Biologicals

Biological products are becoming more popular with strip-tillers seeking more economical, sustainable and effective ways to manage pests and diseases, increase yields and the like. But results can vary on individual farms, and that’s why Hickory, N.C., dryland corn yield record-breaker Russell Hedrick is devoting serious time to on-farm trials. 

He sets up check strips for natural compounds he’s using, in addition to reading up on trial data he can find. 

“If you’re not setting something up like this, you’re missing a lot of good information. Essentially did it make bushels or lose bushels and what was our net return?” Hedrick said during his presentation. “That’s how we decide what we move to the farm the next year. 

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CHECK STRIPS. Russell Hedrick shared these results from biological trials on his Hickory, N.C., farm during his NNTC presentation. Russell Hedrick

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Hedrick sends his soil, seed and biologicals inputs he’s interested in to RISE Bio to have it tested in his farm’s environment to gauge if there is a chance for a positive return. 

“This stuff is not cheap,” he said. “We’re going to spend thousands of dollars a year on a biological product. Why wouldn’t we spend $200 and test it in the laboratory? “There’s a lot of good management decisions that we get from this testing for $200.”

2. Erosion Costs Money

Jasper, Mo., no-tiller Mac Kincaid told NNTC attendees that erosion on farms isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s a financial one, and that is why cover crops should be part of their management system. He said 5.8 tons of soil is lost per acre every year to wind and water erosion — which amounts to a little more than a dime thickness across an acre.

Kincaid estimates if his farm lost 5.8 tons of soil a year, multiplied by 800 acres, that would be 5,104 tons. Multiplied by $37.50 a ton for the lost soil, that provides an equivalent value of $191,000 lost annually.

“If we can just maintain half that soil, we’re going to pay for the cover crop cost, the drilling and everything involved with it,” Kincaid said.  

3. Think Through Farm Rental Decisions

One of the topics covered during the roundtable discussions had to do with farmers’ relationships with landlords. The dynamics of this relationship can run the gamut depending on where a farm is located.

For young farmers trying to build up their inventory of productive fields, it can be tempting to jump on a piece of land that becomes available. But those who have their heart set on strip-tilling, no-tilling, seeding covers and building up the property’s productivity should find out whether the landowner or landlord shares the same commitment.


“Base saturation needs to be a number one priority…”


Adam Daugherty, NRCS District Conservationist for Coffee County, Tenn., said some areas still share a sense of community and farmers and landlords can work together — but it’s not that way everywhere. Renting land from owners would just assume sell out to real estate developers might not be a good match. 

Daugherty mentioned that late No-Till Legend David Brandt had some high-profile farms near Ohio State University where he pushed forward detailed contracts that set a value for percentage of organic matter and nutrient levels in the soil. The contract required landlords to pay him back for the soil investments if they decided to withdraw from renting the farm to him.

“If you have a landlord that isn’t committed or invested (to no-till), sometimes it’s alright to walk away,” Daugherty said. 

4. Balance the Soil for Maximum Input ROI

Arion, Iowa, farmer Kelly Garrett explained at NNTC why calcium needs to be considered a macronutrient in plants, and the benefits of plant sap testing. 

The 6th-generation farmer and co-founder of XtremeAg says growers must balance their plants and soils to ensure input investments are not wasted and emphasized this could be an issue that an agronomist at an ag retail business misses.

“A lot of farmers and myself included didn’t, until a few years ago, understand base saturation. It needs to be a number one priority,” Garrett said. He considers the perfect balance to be 65% calcium, 13% magnesium and 4% potassium. He also notes the importance of hydrogen, as some of the highest-yielding soils on farms will have an appropriate amount of it.

5. Law of the Minimum & Maximum

Independent soil health specialist and retired NRCS educator Jim Hoorman said growers need to remember the “Law of Minimum and Maximum” as it relates to nutrient balance and crop production.

The Law of Minimum states that whatever element is missing is the element that reduces yield — drawing an example of staves on a barrel full of water. The Law of Maximum says whatever nutrient is in surplus may have a negative effect on other elements and limit yield — such as NPK potentially tying up micronutrients that are needed for amino acid and protein formation.

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DIGGING DEEP. Independent soil health specialist Jim Hoorman breaks down nutrient content and function during his NNTC presentation. Jeff Lazewski

“N, P and K, and even calcium, has been our focus for so long that sometimes they tie up a bunch of other nutrients. Or the other nutrients in excess tie up N, P and K,” Hoorman said during his presentation.

Former Dakota Lakes Research Farm manager Dwayne Beck added that diverse no-till and cover crop systems and livestock are key to building resilient operations and long-term profitability. Ecosystems that leak nutrients for extended periods, “become deserts,” he said during his presentation.

6. ‘N’ Needed in Transition

During the Innovators & Experts Panel, retired NRCS educator Barry Fisher reminded beginning no-tillers that cutting nitrogen (N) from their nutrient program immediately is not a good idea. 

That’s because farmers coming out of a tillage system were getting a big nutrient release when the soil was disturbed, but that won’t take place any longer when no-till practices are adopted. This is especially true when growers try no-tilling corn first. He suggests no-tilling soybeans first or adding cover crops to the system after corn. 

“You’ve got to let that soil wean itself off of N and get some soil biology going and some aggregate stability,” Fisher said. “You’ve got to get over that collapse of aggregates and that immobilization of nitrogen at least for a full season. When you come back to the corn the following year and plant into that you will still have immobilization occurring and you’re still not getting the big burst of tillage nitrogen that happens when you’re burning off the carbon and organic matter. You’re going to have to have some starter nitrogen as you move into that.”