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.

Strip-tiller Robert Boyle deals with drought conditions every year in Coolidge, Ariz. His 1,200-acre corn, cotton, alfalfa and dairy operation gets only about 7 inches of rain — if he’s lucky — and it often comes over the course of 2-3 storms.

Boyle tackles the challenge head on by embracing a strip-till mindset for water management. He details his approach to strip-tilling in dry conditions, including the usage of diverse cover crop mixes to preserve soil structure and water, and cutting-edge technology like autonomous irrigation in his classroom presentation, "Making Strip-Till Work with Only 7 Inches of Rain." 

You’ll Learn: How to incorporate cover crops with strip-till in a dry climate, strategies for improving water efficiency in adverse conditions and how to save up to $500 per acre each year with water conservation and nutrient cycling.

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.

Related Content:

David Hula's 5 Keys to Strip-Till Success

From Farmer to Innovator, Marion Calmer Lead the Way with Narrow Row Corn & the Tools to Harvest it 

[Podcast] Banded Systems Get to the Root of Yield with Chris Perkins