The potential for nitrogen loss in no-till presents you with both a problem and an opportunity, maintains Sam Ferguson, a customer agronomist with Dow AgroSciences in Omaha, Neb.

To maximize above-ground profits, Ed Winkle maintains that no-tillers must be attuned to the basics of what’s happening under the ground. The certified crop adviser with HyMark Consulting in Blanchester, Ohio, says a proper balance of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon is critical to harvesting top no-till yields.

For Mike Guetterman, who farms 7,000 no-till acres with his father and brothers, small details make a big difference in the success of a continuous no-till program.

When it comes to finding the solution to global warming, no-tillers will definitely play a key role. You may also be eligible to receive some supplemental income for sequestering carbon from your permanently no-tilled fields in the future.

Can saving money now on fertilizer pay off down the road or are you better off spending a little extra money to see better results in your no-tilled fields?

Deep-banding fertilizer sounded like a great idea to Brad Mathson when he first heard about it. However, participating in a no-till club saved him from spending $30,000 to find out that it probably isn’t the best way to increase no-till yields in his operation.

What started out as an experiment with no-till grain sorghum has led Benedict, Kan., farmer Jerry Guenther to national prominence as one of the country’s top-yielding grain sorghum producers.

While Francis Childs certainly doesn’t no-till, the Manchester, Iowa, farmer uses a number of ideas some ideas that you could use in your own no-tilling operation. Using a mini moldboard plow that works the soil up to 14 inches deep yet still leaves up to 40 percent soil cover from his extremely heavy continuous corn plant residue, he harvested an amazing 442.1 bushels of corn per acre last fall. For the sixth straight year, he took top honors in the 2002 National Corn Growers Association National Corn Yield Contest.