For decades, the spring season was consistently stressful for Sparland, Ill., grower Jay Riddell. He dedicated days to running a field cultivator though his 1,500 corn and soybean acres while hoping for a suitable seedbed to plant into.

When it comes to weed control, no-tillers and strip-tillers tend to opt for a chemical application to minimize invasive species popping up in their corn and soybean fields.

More erratic precipitation patterns and shifting seasons are reinforcing the value of a comprehensive strip-till plan for improving soil health.

Managing corn residue can be as much an art form as a science, requiring a combination of the right tools to match a farmer’s objectives.

Being able to adapt and improve a fertility program is a constant evolution. While it won’t eliminate all of the variables that can influence root structure, plant growth or nutrient uptake — a flexible strategy can at least better manage them.

Ben McClure was a recent ag economics graduate from Kansas State University when he went to work for Kramer Seed Farms in southwestern Kansas near Hugoton in 2003. His arrival came just as the multigenerational family farm was about to embark on a series of changes that has radically altered its farming operation, and significantly boosted its financial well-being.

One of the biggest concerns and complaints no-tillers have about aerially seeding cover crops is that it doesn’t result in a good stand.

As attendees at the fifth annual National Strip-Tillage Conference began filtering in for the start of the event, a newcomer to the practice overheard a conversation between a couple of experienced strip-tillers who were chatting about nitrogen (N) application experiments.

Over the past few years, one of the primary questions I have been asking is ‘What limits crops from achieving their genetic yield potential?’

Within the 10-mile radius where father-and-son Doug and Steve Rotenberger farm, field variation is vastly understated. Across their 3,500 acres are sandy, high drainage soils along the east to heavier, gumbo-type soils encompassing most of the west.