Over 370 farmers, agronomists, researchers, dealers and manufacturers from across the U.S., and other countries including Canada and Ireland, gathered in Iowa City for the 12^th annual National Strip-Tillage Conference.

The 2-day event featured 6 general session presentations, 16 breakout classrooms, 14 interactive roundtable discussions and hours of networking in the hallways.

Attendees exchanged ideas on everything from nutrient management and equipment to cover crops and biologicals. Here are 4 highlights from a few of the sessions.

Carbon is Currency

Soil health legend Jerry Hatfield hit leadoff with a keynote presentation on strip-till’s fit in the soil health puzzle. The former director of the USDA Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment discussed how strip-till checks the soil health boxes.

“Strip-till becomes a critical piece to the soil health puzzle because we see all the functions that we want for microbial activity,” Hatfield told the audience. “With strip-till, we’re keeping the water where we want it. We keep the air infiltration where we want it. We reduce the loss of carbon compared to full-width tillage and we promote an environment where water and nutrient use efficiency are optimized.”

Biological activity is key to maintaining healthy soils, Hatfield explained, and keeping soil temperatures in check is an important part of the equation. Cover crops and residue provide the armor that shields the soil from scorching heat in the summer.  

“We got curious about this a…