Rockwell City, Iowa, strip-tiller James Hepp went from a career as a crop insurance adjuster to full-time farmer after crafting an arrangement with a retiring neighbor.

Beaver Dam, Wis., strip-tiller Ryan Nell pushes the envelope with planting dates, but in 2025 he took it to another level — planting soybeans on January 31!

The 2025 National Strip-Tillage Conference takes place July 31-August 1 in Iowa City. In this video, past attendees and speakers share why they keep coming back!

Just a short drive from the conference hotel, attendees will get an up-close look at strip-till equipment — from several manufacturing companies — operating side-by-side at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm in Crawfordsville, Iowa.

Joey Hanson has seen the good, bad and ugly sides of strip-till, both in his own farming operation and while custom strip-tilling in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Internationally known as the “Father of Biological Agriculture,” Gary Zimmer is a big believer in strip-till. “It’s like putting a flowerpot under every plant,” he says. “It allows you to concentrate your nutrients in a row, but you’ll need a better source of nutrients as salts may make things worse.”

Jerry Hatfield, the former director of the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, leads off the 2025 National Strip-Tillage Conference with a big-picture look at how strip-till fits into the soil health puzzle and why it’s key to the long-term outlook of your operation.

Strip-Till Farmer is teaming up with Land Luvr/Rohrs Mfg. to select and recognize the 2025 Strip-Till Innovator Award recipient. Now in its 7th year, the Strip-Till Innovator Awards program recognizes innovative farmers who have excelled by taking risk, thinking outside of the box and leveraging the advantages of strip-till.