Southeastern Minnesota is always an interesting area to explore the evolution and advancement of strip-till. My recent trip was no different, getting the opportunity to learn about the dollars-and-sense approach local strip-tillers have taken to improve economic returns and not necessarily boost yields.

For the past 6 years, Seth Wenzel and his father, Brian, have been transitioning to strip-tilled corn on their 4,000-acre farm near Kent, in northwest Illinois. Wenzel maintains a consistent corn and soybean rotation with approximately two-thirds of his acreage planted with corn annually.