The EPA has approved sorghum oil as an eligible feedstock under the Renewable Fuel Standard, a significant step toward leveling the playing field for ethanol plants extracting oil from sorghum.

Passage of a unique concept that got Congressional consideration during the writing of the 2018 Farm Bill could put more dollars in the pockets of no-tillers. It’s an idea that farmers who use no-till, cover crops and conservation-minded crop rotations to protect the soil should be rewarded with an equivalent of auto insurance’s “good driver discount” when it comes to paying crop insurance premiums.

No-tilling in the U.S. often involves thousands of acres and a lot of complex decisions about seed, equipment and inputs. But for Raju Titus, simplicity is what made his farm profitable.

Oklahoma no-tiller Jimmy Kinder, recently given the Leonard Wyatt Memorial Outstanding Cooperator Award, is not only finding success with his own diversified farm but working with fellow farmers to help them achieve their financial, production, stewardship and quality-of-life goals.

As U.S. lawmakers continue maneuvering on the Farm Bill, inevitably this question comes up: should the government further subsidize no-till practices?

When growers talk about the benefits of cover crops, the talk normally centers around erosion control, keeping nutrients in the field, improving soil quality and trimming fertilizer purchases.

A trip this week through Kansas was a lesson about the perils of drought, but also the potential of no-till and cover crops to build resilient soils that have a better chance of weathering dry periods.

With low grain prices and a declining wheat acreage, Guy Swanson believes winter canola could replace a considerable amount of the winter wheat grown in the western U.S. The result could be higher incomes for no-tillers, bonus opportunities for turning out a high-quality product and a dramatic reduction in soil erosion.

You need to see this video that shows how powerful a tool no-till practices can be for keeping soils in place, which if done on a more widespread basis might have reduced the severity of dust storms that recently plagued eastern Nebraska.