Over the past few years, numerous benefits have been demonstrated for seeding annual ryegrass as a cover crop in a no-till system. However, another exciting benefit may be the use of this cover crop as an alternative method for controlling soybean cyst nematodes (SCN), which can cost a no-tiller as much as 15 bushels per acre in lost soybean yields.

With an emphasis on growing fewer soybean acres due to this year's move toward more continuous corn, no-tillers are looking for new ways to boost soybean yields. And attendees at last winter's 15th annual National No-Tillage Conference learned that a number of new pesticide developments can definitely help in the control of insects, diseases and weeds.

Now that most no-tillers have pretty much mastered the chemical side of pesticide management, they’re paying more attention to application costs, timeliness and equipment selection. This means more no-tillers will be doing more of their own pesticide applications in the future.

When it comes to sharing cropping knowledge, few people have had more impact on expanding the no-till acreage than the latest crop of No-Till Innovator award winners.

While ethanol is the shining star behind expanding corn production, not everyone believes the long-range outlook is good for filling a huge amount of U.S. oil needs with crop-based energy. But if the ethanol demand cools off, increased export demand will certainly pick up the slack and solidify the demand for still more corn acres.