No-tillers in Sarpy County, Neb., are still benefiting from the experience Frank Cockerill gained by no-tilling 60 acres of corn and 10 acres of soybeans in 1975.

As the county’s first no-tiller, Cockerill taught many students through field days, slide-show presentations at meetings and by stimulating curiosity of neighboring farmers. Several of his students have achieved national recognition and one has won the National Corn Grower’s Contest in the no-till category several times.

“One of the better no-tillers in this county is Larry Timm of Springfield,” says Cockerill, who no-tills 800 acres of corn and soybeans near Gretna. “I had some terraced land next to his that had a slope of 18 to 30 percent in some spots.

“One night we had a 7 1/2-inch rain. He about wore my field out walking it the next day.”

Get Experience

No-till has come a long way in the 23 years since Cockerill began. During his first year of no-till, Cockerill remembers weed battles.

“We had such light soil that we had to take literally thousands of soil samples to find organic-matter levels so we could set up a Bladex dosage,” he explains. “The dosage we used didn’t kill as well as ex­pected. The next year we increased it and the Bladex did its job.”

During these first two years of no-till, Cockerill gained the best advice he has for other no-tillers—get experience.

“Your best information will not come from the university, your neighbors or crop consultants,” he emphasizes. “Visiting with neighbors…