Rapp Farms, operated by James and his sons Nick, and Ben, farm 3,000 acres of corn and soybeans in the Princeton, Ill., area. They are going into their fifth year of strip-tilling both crops on fairly flat and rather consistent soil types in the north-central part of the state.

Frustration if often a byproduct of progress, and as any strip-tiller will tell you integrating new technology into their operation often comes with a hitch or two.

Farmers in the Lake Erie watershed area in northwest Ohio are extremely aware of the public’s interest in water quality and agriculture’s role in protecting it. David Myerholtz says precision farming practices help him and his father, Lowell, fine tune and document their efforts to protect the water quality in Lake Erie. Technology also helps them use crop inputs more efficiently.