On top of running his family farm, 2024 Strip-Till Innovator Chris Perkins owns and operates Banded Ag, an ag research, consulting and custom application business that’s grown to over 10,000 custom spring strip-till acres in Indiana and Kentucky. A quarterback is only as good as his teammates, and Perkins gives most of the credit to his 6 full-time employees as he reflects on the impact they’ve made in the region since 2017.

2024 Strip-Till Innovator Chris Perkins takes us inside his Otwell, Ind., office. Perkins explains the significance of the vintage DeKalb bags hanging on his walls, and why each bag represents a key moment in his strip-till journey. Perkins also shares his 4 keys to growing a 300-bushel corn crop.

“We have markers, and we used them while we were having signal trouble," says John Holles of Springfield, Minn. "Row shutoffs didn’t work, but we didn’t have them 20 years ago either.”

“When strip-till is done right, it makes money, and today’s strip-till equipment has come of age to the point that it will deliver on the agronomic challenges farmers face,” Bill Preller says.

In 2014, Feikema Farms encountered a crisis as heavy rain led to major soil erosion, resulting in crop loss and financial setbacks. To avoid a repeat, they took a bold step to enhance soil fertility and reduce erosion.