Numerous no-till attempts were made in the late 1940s but unsuitable equipment and weed control products, still in their relative infancy, thwarted its adoption. The brief history of weed control advancements is a complement piece to “No-Till’s Herbicide History” appearing in the May 2022 No-Till Farmer. The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.

The still “coming of age” no-till practice received two significant shots in the arm when no-tillers were tapped for influential posts in D.C. Instead of bureaucrats, the USDA smartly veered from the norm to appoint two practical farmers, Missouri’s Peter Myers and Ohio’s Bill Richards, to help convince farmers of the merits of reducing tillage. The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.

In the 60 years since the first commercial no-tillage planting in Christian County, the agricultural practice continues to improve soils and water quality on millions of acres across Kentucky, the U.S. and the world. The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.

Having spent 39 years in the farm equipment industry, I was fully aware of the fact that new machines aren’t unanimously accepted everywhere immediately. Thank goodness they aren’t, as the factory couldn’t keep up if a deluge of farm equipment tool orders had come from everywhere at the same time. The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.

Not as well-known to no-tillers as Plowman’s Folly and its heralded author/champion Edward H. Faulkner was the responding book that contradicted it. Iowa’s Walter T. Jack boldly defended the moldboard plow against Faulkner in The Furrow and Us, released in 1946, with prose every bit as powerful as that of his nemesis. The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.