In the past, the idea of transitioning to strip-till with baby steps was almost unheard of, Andy Thompson says, and the unwritten strip-till code was to buy a rather complicated and expensive tool that was meant to replace all other tools previously used to perform everything needed for the crop. That’s no longer the case in 2026.

About 68% of strip-tillers are no-tilling some of their acres, according to our latest Strip-Till Farmer Benchmark Report. So, I figured there’d be at least some cross-over interest when I decided to add a “strip-till 101” classroom to January’s 2026 National No-Tillage Conference agenda.

Looking to make strip-till work better for your farm? We share an inside look at how Environmental Tillage Systems (ETS) helps growers customize strip-till systems that match their unique operations.