Fifteen years ago, strip-till was widely touted as the way row crop farmers could have it all. By just tilling the narrow rows where they will place their seeds, they'll have a strip with higher spring soil temperatures and a trash-free seed bed for planting like conventional tillage methods provide, but still get most of the reduced erosion and increased soil organic matter benefits of no-till.

Jerry Hatfield. Liz Haney. Roy Pfaltzgraff. Lance Gunderson, Dan Luepkes. Russell Hedrick. Sarah Martello. Talk about a cavalcade of All-Stars. With heavy hitters like those on the program, we knew this year’s Big Soil Health Event was a can’t-miss event.

Looking to capitalize on the organic and nutrient benefits of both cover crops, Sanderson then strip-tilled and planted corn in between the winter peas and radishes, hoping the corn roots could reach both cover crops.

The soil health goals Gary Greenlee has for his farms are the same, despite the drastic 1,800-mile distance between them. The long-time strip-tiller farms about 200 acres of silt loam in Illinois, as well as about 1,000 acres of good soil in Idaho.

With field conditions favorable for a stable harvest schedule, and planning for crop year 2025 underway, the next 8 weeks provide a golden opportunity to evaluate how your fields held up, says University of Wisconsin Extension.

Strip-tillers will still be able to reap the benefits of having a cover crop emerge early in the spring even if they do not see any visible growth in the fall. Nevertheless, a few management practices should be considered.

Robb Ewoldt shies away from being labeled as an innovator; he just prefers you call him a farmer. But Ewoldt is both. He has proven over the years that adapting new ideas, new practices and seeking out better ways to improve crop production while also protecting the environment can be profitable.