The 11th annual National Strip-Tillage Conference will be held in Madison, Wis., at the Marriott Madison West Hotel & Conference Center Aug. 8-9, 2024. The focused 2-day program covers a myriad of topics for profitable results in strip-till farming, including precision technology pay-offs, equipment setup tips, cover crops, soil testing and fertility strategies, economic analyses, soil biology and more.

Chris Perkins built an 8-row toolbar and launched a small-scale strip-till trial in 2017, introducing the concept of strip-till to growers in Southwestern Indiana for the first time. He's expanded his banded fertilizer system across more than 10,000 custome spring strip-till acres since then, while also becoming a coach to others, including NCGA winners in 2017, 2020 and 2021. "Chris Perkins has become one of the premier strip-till leaders through a long road of trial and error to complete a true 'banded' system for his farm," says Fred Below, professor of plant physiology at the University of Illinois.

Hear directly from the top strip-till operator in the country, as determined by an independent panel of judges, as Perkins takes the stage as the 2024 Strip-Till Innovator Award recipient. The Otwell, Ind., strip-tiller, who was the highest rated speaker by attendees at the 2022 National Strip-Tillage Conference, discusses his own unique strip-till journey, lessons learned along the way, and shares new insights about a systems-approach banding program that's bumped yields on his farm by an additional 60 bushels per acre.

You'll Learn: How to build a synergistic strip-till system that directly feeds the crop in an economic and environmentally efficient way.

Unique from other ag conferences, the National Strip-Tillage Conference agenda features a mix of general sessions, classrooms, farmer-to-farmer roundtable discussions and face time with suppliers — all designed for maximum networking and the practical transfer of experience and knowledge. The 2024 program lineup includes:

  • 6 General Sessions — covering an abundance of proven strip-tilling ideas and strategies. You’ll learn from industry-leading strip-tillers, such as David Hula, who achieved his fifth world-record breaking corn yield of 623 bushels per acre and original Strip-Till Innovator of the Year David Legvold back for an eleventh anniversary lecture on lessons learned from 20 years of strip-till research. Joining them are 2024 Strip-Till Innovator Award recipient Chris Perkins and No-Till Legend Marion Calmer.

  • 14 Roundtable Discussions — informal, moderated peer-to-peer discussions on specific strip-till topics. Attendees should come with 5 questions to get answered in this proven format for sharing what works and what doesn’t.

  • 14 Classrooms — in-depth presentation-style sessions convey practical, actionable ideas from experienced strip-tillers on the most pressing needs.

  • Pre-Conference Screening of “From the Heartland” — a documentary exploring rural America’s reliance on the success of its farming towns and how chasing the forward movement of the agricultural industry prompts one family farm to discard traditional practices and try something new. This limited seating reception is an add-on to your NSTC registration and offers networking opportunities, a reception meal and panel discussion with cast members Jodi DeJong-Hughes — a University of Minnesota Extension educator — and farmer Shawn Feikema.

Download the full conference agenda and register here! 

Title sponsors making the learning and networking opportunities possible for strip-tillers include Vulcan Equipment, Soil Warrior, Kuhn, MonTag, Schlagel, Dawn, ESN, Yetter, Ostara, Ag Leader, Unverferth, RhizoSorb, AgSynergy and ZML. All companies will exhibit during the 4-day educational event.

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