When it comes to the future of the planet, Rattan Lal doesn’t beat around the bush. “Increase no-till farming practices across the planet or face serious climate, soil quality and food production problems in the next 20 to 50 years,” says the soil scientist at Ohio State University.

After witnessing high-yield wheat fields in England, Miles Farm Supply officials recruited four English agronomists to boost wheat production in the western Kentucky, southern Indiana and Tennessee areas served by the company’s Opti-Crop crop management division.

Everyone's heard seed salesman say that almost every corn hybrid will perform well with any type of tillage. While more seed companies are finally admitting that cold vigor, residue level, germination rate and a few other items should be evaluated when selecting corn hybrids for no-till, Kevin Newgard maintains a number of other key agronomic factors need to be considered.

Still not convinced about the benefits of no-till grain sorghum? Take a look at what no-till cropping has done for Clyde, Kan., grain sorghum producer Gary Resco.

Think back a few years to the first time you heard the words “mad cow disease” uttered by the media. What began as a strange phenomenon turned into a British disaster. We’re all familiar with the images of shaking cows, but should it concern us?

No-tillers have another tool to consider using with their soybean crops. Nitragin Inc., a manufacturer of legume innoculants, has introduced Optimize, a soybean growth promoter. According to Nitragin, soybeans treated with Optimize delivered an average yield increase of 3.5 bushels per acre over 3 years of testing.

While John Pickle admits that no-tilling corn shallow will get the plants out of the ground faster, he maintains there are several other considerations to worry about when deciding how deep to plant.

Though only 17 years of age, I consider myself an experienced farmer. I have worked alongside my father on our family’s farm since I was a small child, learning the skills of agriculture and developing a desire to make farming my own life’s work. Living on a farm that has belonged to and supported our family for generations, I am acutely aware of how drastically farming techniques have changed over the years.