In spite of occasional criticism from purists, the U.S. is still often seen as a leader in no-tilling, as evidenced by several dryland farmers from Russia who toured the U.S. earlier this year to witness how sustainable agriculture is being practiced in drought-affected regions.

Mark Watson, Panhandle No-till Educator, asks farmers whether they've given any thought to what their farms will look like in 2030.

While U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have been bragging about funding nearly $290 million in renewable energy efforts since the start of the Bush administration, most of the investment has gone to bioenergy and biomass ventures. In fact, much of their comprehensive energy strategy to help farmers reduce high energy costs is simply being promoted without offering any new economic incentives.

While the winners in the annual National Corn Yield Contest sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association do everything they can to harvest top yields, they certainly don’t skimp on nutrients.

Are you ready for as high as 100-bushel yields in your no-till soybean fields? Don’t think those figures are so far-fetched, as research being done in Ohio indicates such no-till yields are possible.

To manage no-till residues effectively, Kevin Melville asks several critical questions during and after harvest.

In a 17-year Nebraska study, researchers found that conservation tillage gave higher irrigated corn yields and profits than tilled plantings. The average yield increase was 4 bushels per acre, while the three conservation tillage treatments resulted in $8 to $16 per acre less tillage costs than the conventional disc tillage treatment. The conservation tillage treatments were ridge-till, rotary-till and slot-plant, while tilled treatments consisted of chisel, disc or lister operations for the furrow-irrigated continuous corn plantings.