After hearing detailed questions from farmers about fall strip-till during the recent Big Iron Farm Show, Thurston Mfg. Co. chief marketing officer Nick Jensen and Bob Saunders, a territory sales manager for Asgrow and De Kalb, decided to hold several meetings and strip-till demonstrations in the area last October.

When it comes to saving money, strip-tiller David Legvold has a nugget to share. After the Northfield, Minn., strip-tiller shared results of the research on nitrogen response in strip-tilled corn that he completed in 2012, I asked about his fuel use for strip-till vs. conventional tillage.

Like many farmers during this past growing season, Iowa strip-tiller Frank Moore harvested corn and soybeans with wildly varying yields. Much of the variation stemmed from when, where and how much rain fell, along with planting dates and when corn pollinated.

The message from Nick Jensen, chief marketing officer for Thurston Mfg., and from agronomists from Monsanto, is that strip-tilling in cold climates will help the soil warm up faster, get corn out of the ground quicker and improve yields.

A brief history of our no-till operation emphasizes an important lesson to new no-tillers: Success doesn't come overnight. But if you pay attention to details, no-till or strip-till has the potential for higher yields in rotated or continuous corn and more profitability than any other tillage method.

The ILF Strip-Tillage Crop Management video section of "Farmers' Perspective on Strip-Till" offers recommendations on various aspects of strip-tillage from farmers who have been strip-tilling for some time.

In this section of the ILF Strip-Tillage Crop Management video "Farmers' Perspective on Strip-Till" experienced Iowa strip-tillers offer their thoughts on a fertilizer program when using this conservation practice.

If you haven't heard of Richard Follmer, just know that you've probably used a version of his invention if you've used a strip-till unit recently. The owner of Progressive Farm Products in Hudson, Ill., invented the midmount, dual-placement strip-till toolbar that is being used by thousands of Corn Belt farmers.

More than a year of bone-dry weather in the Corn Belt and Great Plains may dim our memories of the 2009 harvest, when fields in some states turned into swamps and harvest stretched into March 2010.

John and Jordan Schwarck's priorities are preserving the soil and protecting wildlife habitat. T