Looking to capitalize on the organic and nutrient benefits of both cover crops, Sanderson then strip-tilled and planted corn in between the winter peas and radishes, hoping the corn roots could reach both cover crops.

John Werries, his son Dean, and one employee are no strangers to making adjustments year-to-year to combat the unpredictable conditions of their Chapin, Ill., operation of no-tilled beans and strip-tilled corn.

In a farming career spanning over four decades, not much fazes Mike Cerny at this point. From downturns to data and drones, the “combo-tiller” knows better than to get carried away with any given industry breakthrough, although he is always willing to at least give one a try.

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.

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.

After years of strict conventional tillage at Billing Farms, the family-run corn, soybean and wheat operation out of Enderlin, N.D., couldn’t help but wonder if a better option existed to maximize fertilizer investment for corn in the early 2000s.

North Bend, Neb. strip-tiller Chris Armstrong was just over the age of 30 when he made the switch to strip-till in 2014. That first year, he also decided to enroll in the Pioneer Encirca nutrient management program, investing $10 per acre in creating a database with a goal of more accurately applying fertilizer based on field-specific prescriptions.