For Canadian strip-tiller Mike Verdonck, weed pressure, erosion and a reliance on heavy herbicide and fertilizer applications are all symptoms of “sick” soil. The antidote? Reducing tillage, moving to a year-round, multi-species cover cropping system and putting a focus on rebuilding and maintaining soil health.

In this episode of the Strip-Till Farmer podcast, we get a glimpse at some of the speakers and topics on tap for the 7th annual National Strip-Tillage Conference, coming up Aug. 6-7 in Omaha, Neb.

This week we welcome strip-tiller Mike Verdonck to share how he adopted a constant cover cropping system to accelerate soil recovery after harvesting cash crops as well as some of the soil rehabilitative benefits of combining cover crops and strip-till.

Veteran farmers Brian Ryberg from Buffalo Lake, Minn., and Mike Verdonck from Montreal share their early motivations and results making the transition into strip-till.