By Chuck Zumbrun
As interviewed by Martha Mintz

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NAME: Chuck Zumbrun

FARM: Zumbrun Farms

LOCATION: Churubusco, Ind.

YEARS NO-TILLING: 20

ACRES: 1,200

CROPS: Corn, soybeans, winter wheat and cereal rye

I’VE FOUND WITH many of my endeavors in no-till that I’d implement a practice for one reason, only to reap unexpected benefits and switch gears to further pursue those benefits. This applies to no-till itself, too.

Zumbruns have been farming the rolling hills northwest of Fort Wayne, Ind., at Churubusco for 100 years as of 2016. I farm it with my sister-in-law, Lana Zumbrun, and my nephew, Tom Zumbrun.

We first gave no-till a shot in 1978. It didn’t work so great for us then as we didn’t have some of the modern conveniences afforded to no-tillers today. Equipment, herbicides and hybrids hadn’t caught up with the trend yet.

By the early 1990s there were more tools to help a no-till effort be successful, so we gave it another shot.

Our primary incentive was to save on labor and machinery costs. As the years passed, however, we noticed many other benefits. Our soils weren’t blowing or washing away and they were actually improving.

We also live in an area that is increasingly suburban and whose water supply has been directly impacted by algae blooms in Lake Erie. Practicing no-till, which keeps soil and the nutrients it holds in place instead of down the creek, helps us maintain a positive relationship with our community.

As we…