No tillers have many cover-crop options that can improve soil tilth, warm up temperatures at planting time, manage pest problems and much more, according to experts who spoke to about 100 no-tillers attending the Ohio No-Till Council’s field day earlier this fall.

Five years ago, Nick and Luke Miller returned to Miller Farms near Oconomowoc, Wis., bringing with them a passion for change that works well with the no-till tradition their father, Bob, began 16 years ago.

No-tillers who must apply manure late in the summer and also want to drill cover crops face a conflict. When storage nears capacity, manure must be applied to fields. But timely seeding of cover crops is crucial to establishing stands.

When Cameron Mills jumped into farming full time in 1998, he went into it full bore. His father had just retired from farming and had turned over the operation to his 21-year-old son.

Paul Davis finds it easy to explain why cover crops make sense for no-tilling corn, wheat, soybeans and pumpkins on the family farm near New Kent, Va.

The pilot's work was the first thing Bryan, Ohio, no-tiller Allen Dean questioned when cover crops aerially seeded last fall didn't establish well on his farm.