Home / Authors / Martha Mintz

Martha Mintz

Since 2011, Martha has authored the highly popular “What I’ve Learned About No-Till” series that has appeared in every issue of No-Till Farmer since August of 2002.

Growing up on a cattle ranch in southeastern Montana, Martha is a talented ag writer and photographer who lives with her family in Billings, Montana.

Articles

ARTICLES

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Carbon is King — and Rising Fast — with Constant Cropping

Josh Lloyd grows crops year-round to capture carbon and build topsoil that will return yields despite lower inputs.

By Martha Mintz posted on March 30, 2021 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

Everyone makes a big deal out of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), but to me, carbon is the key to a profitable and sustainable farm.

Digging Into the Principles of Regenerative Ag

By Dan Crummett, Angela Lovell, Martha Mintz, and Loretta Sorensen posted on March 12, 2021 | Posted in Residue Management, Nutrient Management, Soil Health, No-Till Farming 101

Based on the principles of building healthy soil, regenerative ag aims to not only sustain farm productivity but to actually work with nature to regenerate the soil, increase biodiversity and enhance the farming ecosystem.

Interseeding is a Process, Not Just a Practice

Building experience is the critical first leg of the journey to interseeding, companion cropping and relay cropping.

By Martha Mintz posted on February 24, 2021 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment

When Loran Steinlage hears someone say, “I want to be where you are” when it comes to interseeding, he says it’s a sure sign that person is setting themselves up for failure. It takes patience and practice to set the groundwork.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Stepping Up: No-Till, Tile, Cover Crops and Now Organic

Dana, Ind., no-tiller Kelly Cheesewright is always game to take the next step to improve the function, productivity and sustainability of his farm.

By Martha Mintz posted on February 23, 2021 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

What I’m doing isn’t for the faint of heart. I not only want to farm, I want to be profitable, take care of the soil, water and wildlife and make sure my children and grandchildren can keep farming in the future. Doing things the right way — not just the easiest or most profitable in the right here and right now — is what I want to achieve.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Attention to Detail Unlocks Long-Term No-Till Success

It’s the little things that add up to success for this North Dakota no-till veteran.

By Martha Mintz posted on February 3, 2021 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

THIS MAY SOUND crazy for a 72-year-old to say, but I can’t retire because I’m at the top of my game. My soil is the best it’s ever been.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Evaluate, Explore and Always Say “Yes” to Learning

By Martha Mintz posted on December 29, 2020 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

Erosion gives and erosion takes away in the dune-like hills of the Palouse region. Created by soils blown in from the Southwest, the silty hills that loom over and dramatically break away to the Clearwater and Snake Rivers are highly vulnerable to erosion themselves.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Keeping on an Even, Reliable Keel with Decades of No-Till

A long running commitment to no-till, cover crops and constant learning make for smooth sailing on this Virginia farm.

By Martha Mintz posted on December 1, 2020 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Water Management

WE QUIT BUYING crop insurance 30 years ago. We kept paying premiums and paying premiums and never had yields low enough to qualify for payment. In fact, I haven’t had a crop failure since I started no-tilling more than 50 years ago.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: One Bold Move Leads to Decades of No-Till Success

Jumping aggressively into no-till and later cover crops created an efficient, productive system and flexibility for off-farm adventures.

By Martha Mintz posted on November 3, 2020 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment, Soil Health

I’M A BIT of an adventurer. In my 20s I ran triathlons, then I traveled the country as a wind surfer and for the last 15 years I’ve enjoyed getting way off the beaten path with my dirt bike. I’m certainly not afraid to try something different or think outside the box and that’s true in my farming operation, too.

Building a Case for the Economic Benefits of Improving Soil Health

To help farmers make informed decisions, the Soil Health Partnership is gathering data on the financial impacts of conservation practices.

By Martha Mintz posted on October 20, 2020 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Soil Health, Water Management

FOR THE PAST 7 years, the National Corn Growers Assn. and their partners have been working to increase the confident adoption of soil health management practices today and in the future through the Soil Health Partnership (SHP).

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Taking No-Till Diversity Beyond the Annual Cycle

Wildflowers, perennial grasses, intercropped cover crops and more have this Idaho farm leading the pack in crop diversity.

By Martha Mintz posted on October 17, 2020 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

Keeping soil in place in the Palouse can be a real challenge, one we haven’t always been the best at meeting. The growing season is short, and slopes can be as steep as 40-plus degrees.

View All Articles by Martha Mintz

Current Issue

No-Till Farmer

Get full access NOW to the most comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use online resource for no-tillage practices. Just one good idea will pay for your subscription hundreds of times over.

Subscribe Now

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Carbon is King — and Rising Fast — with Constant Cropping

Hitting Pay Dirt by Boosting Soil Biology

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

Strip Cropping and Interseeding Cover Crops with Marty Weiss

Capturing sunlight and keeping living roots in the ground as long as possible is the goal of Beaver Dam, Ws., no-tiller Marty Weiss. The co-chair of the Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil & Healthy Water talks about strip-cropping and interseeding cover crops at a field day in the summer of 2020.

Events

2021 National Strip-Tillage Conference

Date: 08/05/21

Location: Omaha, NE

The editors of Strip-Till Farmer bring you this one-of-a-kind 2-day learning experience assembling the best strip-tillers, agronomists and researchers for unrivaled online learning and networking.

View Event

More Events

Top Directory Listings

Needham Ag Technologies, LLC

Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.

Titan International, Inc

Titan offers a full line of wheels, tires and undercarriage products for a wide variety of off-the-road equipment.

The Andersons PureGrade

The Andersons grows enduring relationships through extraordinary service, a deep knowledge of the market, and a knack for finding new ways to add value as we have done for nearly 70 years.

Martha Mintz

ARTICLES

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Carbon is King — and Rising Fast — with Constant Cropping

Digging Into the Principles of Regenerative Ag

Interseeding is a Process, Not Just a Practice

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Stepping Up: No-Till, Tile, Cover Crops and Now Organic

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Attention to Detail Unlocks Long-Term No-Till Success

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Evaluate, Explore and Always Say “Yes” to Learning

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Keeping on an Even, Reliable Keel with Decades of No-Till

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: One Bold Move Leads to Decades of No-Till Success

Building a Case for the Economic Benefits of Improving Soil Health

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Taking No-Till Diversity Beyond the Annual Cycle

Top Articles

Current Issue

No-Till Farmer

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Carbon is King — and Rising Fast — with Constant Cropping

Hitting Pay Dirt by Boosting Soil Biology

Must Read Free Eguides

Videos

Strip Cropping and Interseeding Cover Crops with Marty Weiss

Events

2021 National Strip-Tillage Conference

Needham Ag Technologies, LLC

Titan International, Inc

The Andersons PureGrade