As a no-till farmer, what do you stand for? What are your principles and goals? If you have been no-tilling (including strip-tilling) continuously for years, your principles are probably on a rock-solid foundation. 

I asked a few no-tillers this question: What do you stand for? Like almost every farmer, they gave the usual answer, “Leave the farm better than I found it.” Then I drilled down deeper.

Here are specific answers from 5 successful no-tillers.

“Build soil life, soil health. Grow products that people need and are willing to pay for. We have to make a living. Long-term, we want to leave a growing business for the next generation.”

“Do more with less. Reducing inputs with continuous no-till and cover crops makes our farm operation more resilient and we make money consistently.”

“Our soil is in the best shape it’s ever been. No-till and cover crops have increased organic matter. That increases water-holding capacity, increases resilience, and lets us reduce inputs.” 

“We work to bring greater biological life into our soil to provide nutrient-rich, high protein cash crops. This food source, for livestock and then humans, strengthens our health, making trips to the doctor less frequent.”

“Our theme is ‘turning dirt into healthy soil for the next generation.’ In 20 years, good soil health will give them the opportunity to grow crops that will likely be more profitable than corn and soybeans.”

How about no-till organizations?

What do they stand for? I asked the original source for no-till education, Frank…