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.

Ty Fickenscher of Axtell, Neb., and Caleb Traugh of Blakely, Ga., join Strip-Till Farmer technology editor Noah Newman on stage for a farmer-to-farmer discussion about the good, the bad and the ugly of fall and spring strip-till in a Panel Discussion: Fall vs Spring Strip-Till. Fickenscher makes strips in both seasons, while Traugh waits until the spring after terminating his cover crops.

Fickenscher is a former Pioneer field agronomist and current owner of Upward Ag Systems in Axtell, Neb. Traugh, who also works as a crop consultant, placed second in the 2021 NCGA Georgia Corn Yield Contest strip-till category, and helped Smithville, Ga., strip-tiller Alex Harrell achieve a world record 206-bushel soybean yield in 2023.

You'll Learn: The pros and cons of spring and fall strip-till, and fresh ideas to take hom for the next growing season.

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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