It’s hard to believe that 1½ years has passed since we launched the Dryland No-Tiller e-newsletter to provide more tailored, actionable tips and information to meet the specific needs of no-tillers in the Great Plains, Pacific Northwest and western Canada.

I’ll have to say, the first time I looked at the U.S. Drought Monitor Index map released for June 2, I was shocked. The pockets of orange, yellow and brown indicating extreme drought in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, seemingly permanent fixtures, had all but disappeared in a span of 4-6 weeks.

Recently, I read an interesting take on how technology and economic criteria appear to be reshaping decisions farmers make about conservation efforts — in this case, shelterbelts installed in fields to prevent erosion.