In spring 2015, Jim Kucera's Ashland, Neb., farm had been deluged with heavy rains. The same was true for many Nebraska farmers faced with delayed planting, severe ponding and in some cases, replanting. Kucera certainly felt the pinch, but he says it's not nearly as bad as it would have been if he didn't switch to strip-till on his 700 acres of corn and 600 acres of soybeans about 5 years ago.

The Book family, who farms about 2,400 acres in Harvard and Union, Ill., make use of a variety of tillage methods. They no-till acreage 16 miles from their primary operation because the soils are sandy and the organic matter is only around 2%. On their corn-on-corn acres with heavy residue and sometimes close to 20% organic matter, they vertical till and chisel plow. However, they get their best results from the 600 acres of first-year corn that they strip-till.

As Steve Frahm began adding acreage to his irrigated Ashland, Neb., farm more than a decade ago, one mounting challenge was finding the time and labor to continue ridge-tilling.

Many farmers who convert to strip-till from a conventional-tillage system often laud the benefits of improved soil structure and savings on fuel and labor. For Michael, Kyle and George Cornelissen, who have 28 years of no-tilling behind them, they adopted strip-till for entirely different reasons.

When he moved to strip-till nearly 15 years ago, Rick Childs wanted a simpler, more efficient way to cover his 1,400 acres of corn-on-corn and soybeans.

Iowa strip-tiller Tim Smith uses cover crops, a bioreactor and nutrient management techniques to prevent fertilizer loss and reduce application rates.

Tom Muller, who farms a 2,600-acre family farm in Windom, Minn., is someone who can be considered an early adopter of strip-till in his area.

Strip-Till Strategies editors caught up with a several strip-till manufacturers to solicit advice for novice and veteran spring strip-tillers. Here is what they had to share.

When the Brightly family began strip-tilling in 2010 near Hamlin, N.Y., they were among the early adopters of the practice in their area. But they've noticed that many farmers who may have raised an eyebrow initially have also jumped on board.