With an operation that’s been called a “living laboratory,” Northfield, Minn., farmer David Legvold has embraced experimentation and shares some of the lessons learned working with local colleges and students on strip-till trials, with the goal of strengthening soil biology and creating an attractive environment for earthworms and other beneficial organisms.

Often, it’s the allure of operation-wide cost reduction that convinces farmers to transition into strip-tilling. But, on Wallendal Farms, strip-tilling since 1985, they’ve found a way to push revenues in addition to enjoying the efficiencies.