Ag PhD host & strip-till veteran Brian Hefty links soil tests to yields to precisely feed crops

Jeff Herrold grows corn and soybeans across 3,500 acres, 70% of which are irrigated, near Wanatah, Ind., just 25 miles south of Lake Michigan. 

2026 Strip-Till Innovator Robert Boyle revives soil and slashes inputs with strip-till and cover crops in "dry country."

I studied agronomy at Iowa State after growing up on a diverse farm, and while I was there, decided to double major in horticulture, which turned out to be the greatest thing I’ve accidentally done. 

“In the strip-till community, many people have lost sight of that,” Brian Herbek says. “If you eat a huge piece of prime rib, aka nitrogen, you won’t have room for potatoes and vegetables and all the other stuff needed to be healthy for the longevity of the race.”