Farmers caring for their land received a mixed bag when USDA finalized rules for the Conservation Stewardship, according to National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

This years devastating drought not only robbed crops of valuable moisture, it reduced plant growth and protective cover for the soil. Conservation officials warn that the drought made our soil resource vulnerable to erosion and any tillage will only make conditions worse.

As the number of Iowa farmers decreases and the average farm size increases, that can mean more conservation on the ground – especially when it’s farmed by environmental stewards like Paul “Butch” Schroeder of Coon Rapids.

How much corn crop residue, or stover, can be removed for biofuels without harming soil? An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study of a 10-mile circle around the University of Minnesota's Morris campus offers some clues.

Innovative farmers who provide their communities environmental benefits and who operate profitable farms will host a conservation tour in the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia on Aug. 3

The influence of this year’s No-Till Innovator Award winners stretches a long way, from Ohio to Kansas, up to Pennsylvania and west to Idaho — and even across the oceans. The winners’ agricultural legacy is already well established: regions full of growers who have turned to no-tilling for improved profits, better soils and sustainable farming operations.