Although soil sampling is a foundation for managing nutrients effectively, many no-tillers would like to pinpoint plant nutrient deficiencies during the growing season before they happen. Utilizing plant sap analysis can show plant mineral levels and highlight nutritional deficiencies and excesses before they cause any damage, says John Kempf.

Adding diversity in the field comes with multiple benefits and offers strip-tillers great flexibility and potential extra income, says Ty Fickenscher of Axtell, Neb. The owner of Upward Ag Systems says intercropping and companion cropping can not only improve soil health by boosting biological diversity, they can also boost the bottom line by providing additional cash crops and/or grazing opportunities.

Cover crops have many demonstrated conservation and soil health benefits, yet their use is still limited by perceived financial fears: crop yield reduction or no short-term return.

According to University of Illinois professor David Bullock, the key to managing agricultural inputs well is to understand how weather, field characteristics and managed variables impact yield. Unfortunately, despite decades of experiments, there’s little clarity about this.

A panel of 3 successful strip-tillers, including Jon Stevens of Rock Creek, Minn., Ryan Shaw of Snover, Mich., and Ryan Nell of Beaver Dam Wis., share their plans for 2023, including equipment changes, how they’re dealing with high fertilizer and herbicide prices, environmental challenges they want to overcome, additions or changes to cropping rotation and more.

Achieving high yields on a consistent basis doesn’t happen accidentally. But adopting a systems management fertility program can help you realize critical success in your strip-till operation, says Chris Perkins.

Don’t miss an exclusive opportunity to come with your notes, questions, and comments in an all-new interactive Q&A session with conference presenters, sponsored by Youngblut Ag.

Most advocates for “sustainable” farming don’t like large, specialized, highly-capitalized farms. They want farms that are small, local, more labor-intensive, and fully diversified (with both crops and animals). They want farming systems that imitate nature (agroecology), rather than those that try to dominate nature, says Robert Paarlberg, author of “Resetting the Table: Straight Talk About the Food We Grow and Eat.”

Join us in recognizing the 2022 recipient of the Strip-till Innovators Program honor for their dedication, commitment and advocacy for the practice. Hear directly from the farmer who made a significant contribution to the advancement of strip-till farming, elevating the practice and its benefits in reducing soil erosion and fertilizer use and increasing soil health and crop production.

Do you feel like soil compaction is squeezing your yields? Are you wondering what you can do about it? Every equipment pass risks compaction. Compaction affects root and crop growth, water infiltration, crop fertility access, crop diseases, and yield, just to name a few. However, many management practices exist to help fix compaction and avoid it in the future.