Back in 1971, when Grant Corley welded brackets onto a 6-row, 30-inch Case planter to carry Allis Chalmers’ no-till coulters, he was a maverick. Today, he’s a no-till pioneer who is continuing to fine-tune a system that saves soil and inputs without sacrificing bushels.

The first time i heard about no-tilling was at Kansas State University in 1973. We talked about studies being done in Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and other places where no-till first took hold. I came home from those discussions and thought about putting no-till to work on our farm, but we faced a tough challenge. Based on KSU’s no-till handbook, our clay soils (shallow topsoil, super-tight subsoil) are classified as “needing special management” for no-till.

Good business sense plus compassion for their fellow no-till farmers have partnered to create a scattering of custom no-till planting and/or equipment rental enterprises. Here are solid ideas from five entrepreneurs to think about, whether you’re a veteran or novice no-tiller.

Whether it’s flooding, drought, wind or bugs, there are always plenty of obstacles standing between no-till corn producers and that elusive bumper crop. Recently, western bean cutworm has emerged as one of those obstacles for some Corn Belt producers.