It might be more correct to call this article, “What I’m Still Learning From No-Tilling.” Over nearly 30 years, my farming operation has shifted from customary fall-spring tillage, through a period of detailed research and onfarm studies and finally, 11 years ago, to adoption of continuous no-till.

If the weather has cooperated and you've avoided equipment breakdowns, hopefully your crops are in the ground.

No-tillers should be cautious about planting corn 2 inches deep or more, says Barry Fisher, Indiana state agronomist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

Hopefully, your crops are off to a good start. To ensure the continued success of soybeans, pest and disease scouting is important until soybeans reach their reproductive growth stages.

You can eyeball how much organic matter there is in your soil, says Jill Clapperton, a Canadian soil microbiologist at the Lethbridge Research Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta. Take a sample of the soil in an old can, mix it with water and shake well.

Many no-tillers scout their fields less intensely than they did before Roundup Ready and insect resistant crops became popular. And although the decrease in scouting may vary from farm to farm, the consultants and growers contacted by No-Till Farmer caution that the trend could bring big problems.