Chad Baker texted me a Warren, Ill., address and said, “Meet me here at 9 a.m.,” for a peek behind the curtain during one of the most hectic times of the year.

Fifteen years ago, strip-till was widely touted as the way row crop farmers could have it all. By just tilling the narrow rows where they will place their seeds, they'll have a strip with higher spring soil temperatures and a trash-free seed bed for planting like conventional tillage methods provide, but still get most of the reduced erosion and increased soil organic matter benefits of no-till.

Dave Hula continues his NCGA Yield Contest championship run with a 490-bushel yield in the strip-till irrigated category — the top overall yield in the 2024 contest. His son, Craig, was right behind him with a 461-bushel yield in the same category.

Jerry Hatfield. Liz Haney. Roy Pfaltzgraff. Lance Gunderson, Dan Luepkes. Russell Hedrick. Sarah Martello. Talk about a cavalcade of All-Stars. With heavy hitters like those on the program, we knew this year’s Big Soil Health Event was a can’t-miss event.

Taking steps to safeguard your tires from harsh winter weather and conditions can help you avoid needing replacement tires come spring. Here are four practical tips to help you make the most of your farm tires and equipment this winter.

Looking to capitalize on the organic and nutrient benefits of both cover crops, Sanderson then strip-tilled and planted corn in between the winter peas and radishes, hoping the corn roots could reach both cover crops.

Several years ago the Rotenbergers committed to using a strip-till system for planting 30-inch corn and applying the bulk of their fertilizers in the strip, rather than knifing in nitrogen (N) and broadcasting and incorporating phosphorus (P) and potash in spring like most farmers in their area do.