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NAME: Steve Berger

FARM: Dennis Berger & Son Inc.

LOCATION: Wellman, Iowa

YEARS NO-TILLING: 38

CROPS: Corn and soybeans

Location, location, location. That’s honestly one of the reasons I’ve been successful in no-till over the years. I’m not talking about the land, though — it’s the people I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by.

I farm in Washington County in southeast Iowa, which has become a hotbed for no-till innovators. Our region isn’t flat like many people assume of Iowa, but rather is classified as Southern Drift Plains. Fields range from moderate slopes to river bottoms and we have a lot of Highly Erodible Land (HEL). That may be why we have so many conservation-minded farmers here in our county. In turn, exceptionally good extension, NRCS personnel and county Soil and Water Conservation Districts have long supported them.

NITROGEN GAME. Steve Berger has up to seven different opportunities to get nitrogen (N) on his no-tilled fields in Wellman, Iowa, including tank-mixing UAN with his post-emergence herbicide application. He’s moved to more frequent surface applications of N fertilizer and manure to keep the nutrient readily available, so his crops never have to hunt for it.

Erosion was a problem for us, especially on fields planted to soybeans where slopes hit 9-14%. When our extension director at the time, Jim Frier, wanted my father, Dennis, to attend a no-till meeting in 1978, my father was highly interested. Several area farmers got started…