While reviewing some interesting material I received recently at the No-Till on the Plains Winter Conference in Salina, Kan., I came upon a Top 10 list — one that pertains to farming, not pop culture or show business.

I must admit to playing a little catch-up after spending all of last week in Springfield, Ill., working with my colleagues at No-Till Farmer to host the 22nd annual National No-Tillage Conference. Our second-largest crowd ever with 1,024 attendees took in 4 days of no-till learning at the Springfield Hilton. While there were plenty of familiar faces, we still saw 408 first-time attendees. More than 500 first-timers were on hand last year at the NNTC in Indianapolis.

At No-Till Farmer we often tell readers that we can share with you the ingredients for successful no-till practices, but to make them work on your farm, you need to write your own recipe.

If you use cover crops and allow waterfowl hunters onto your property in the fall, you should pay close attention here.

The consequences of plowing farm ground are so serious, John Baker says the implements should have warnings on them similar to cigarettes. We’ve always argued here at No-Till Farmer that tillage is addictive, especially when it’s recreational tillage that accomplishes little or nothing.

An obstacle no-tillers often cite for not using cover crops in their rotation is getting them established in a timely manner after corn and soybean harvest so they get optimum growth and benefit. This is especially true in colder northern climates, where the growing season is shorter.