I started my farm equipment career during the Gerald Ford administration. Things were rockin’ during those 3 years (1975-78). Fresh out of college with a business degree, I went to work as a commissioned salesperson.

I’m a first-generation farmer. My dad didn’t farm, my uncles didn’t farm, and growing up, I never even worked on a farm. I started in 1991 as a land investor.

Thanksgiving weekend gives us time to unplug for a couple days and reflect on everything we’re grateful for in our lives. Let’s get a head start — here are 5 things I’m grateful for in the world of strip-till.

Retired co-owner and president of Case IH dealer Johnson Tractor, Leo Johnson, explains critical steps to take when switching to strip-till, what to consider when shopping for a strip-till rig, first-year planting challenges and more in his classroom "What I learned from My First Year Strip-Tilling."

Go behind the scenes with Leo Johnson and his son, Patrick, as they plant corn into strips for the first time on their 1,000-acre farm in Clinton, Wis. Jason Pennycook, precision specialist for 9-store Case IH dealer Johnson Tractor, comes to the rescue with remote support when Patrick runs into a problem with the planter in the field.

Leo Johnson and his son, Patrick, are planting corn into strips for the first time in southern Wisconsin. Leo and Patrick discuss how their strip-till maiden voyage has gone so far in this preview of Leo’s 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference presentation, “What I Learned from My First Year Strip-Tilling.” The conference takes place Aug. 8-9 in Madison, Wis. Download the full program and register at StripTillConference.com.

A couple things jump out when looking at Strip-Till Farmer’s 11th annual Strip-Till Operational Benchmark Study demographics. 60% of the 215 growers who participated in the study are 55 years or older.