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.

Brian Watkins, a sixth generation strip-tiller from Kenton, Ohio, applies a true “dollars and cents” mentality to managing his 7,000-acre corn, soybean, winter wheat and livestock operation. When he transitioned from no-till to strip-till several years ago, Watkins — who meticulously manages the ROI of his strip-till system — saw the potential to further improve upon his fertilizer application practices and make better use of equipment.

Brian Watkins discusses the economics and agronomics of strip-till, including how to record all true costs in your operation, maximize planter efficiency and where custom strip-till services can fit into your system in his classroom session, "Pushing the Envelope with Equipment & Fertilizer to Boost Strip-Till Profitability. He also compares spring vs. fall strip-till, examining the value of putting all your fertility in the strip in the spring vs. split applications and more.

You'll Learn: Strategies for getting the most out of your equipment and nutrients, including how to use multiple forms of nitrogen (N) and applications to ensure season-long N availability.

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