While some parts of the country fret about early-season rain events, in Missouri and parts west, corn is coming into the essential R1 stage, just as the weather is drying up. While no-till mitigates moisture concerns to some extent, this article from the University of Missouri shows what to expect if things go south.

While western farmers pray for rain, heavy spring rains in Minnesota have forced some farmers away from no-till to combat wet conditions. That includes Minnesota Corn Growers President Brian Biegler, who farms near Lake Wilson, Minn.

Large swathes of the West and Plains — from Puget Sound to Western Iowa and south to Texas — can expect a 33% chance of reduced rainfall. A smaller core area, from Eastern Washington and Oregon, Northern Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, and the western Dakotas, is facing a 50% chance of reduced rainfall.

With much of the U.S. facing conditions similar to those of the 2012 drought, a look back at lessons learned suggests adjusting management plans may help protect no-till yields and increase resilience.

USDA consultant and Oklahoma no-tiller Clay Pope talks about drought issues in the Southern Plains and potential outreach strategies to get mitigation information into the hands of farmers.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators podcast, brought to you by Topcon Agriculture, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Mike Starkey, who no-tills 2,500 acres of wheat, corn, soybeans and hay in Brownsburg, Ind.