Lease-to-own program enables farmer to see benefits of strip-till in challenging climate.

Mercer, Mo., strip-tiller Galt Porter won more than just bragging rights when his 405-bushel yield captured the 2024 NCGA Yield Contest national title in the strip-till, non-irrigated class.

Technology Editor Noah Newman checks in from Iowa City with a preview of the 2025 National Strip-Tillage Conference, including exclusive insights from speakers on the program, a tour of the hotel and surrounding area, and a 1-on-1 interview with Iowa State’s Rebecca Vittetoe for a look at the pre-conference Strip-Till Field Day.

In 2026, The Andersons will distribute phosphorus fertilizer product RhizoSorb.

“The biggest thing that we’ll incorporate into the whole farm is the addition of that early nitrogen source,” Galt Porter says. “It bridges the gap when everything is stagnant and gives the roots that extra boost. We’ve also increased our strip-till acreage by 500 acres."