Strip-tillers take a lot of pride in the planning and preparation that comes with the farming practice. More and more, strip-tillers I talk with are paying closer attention to managing seed populations, variable-rate fertilizer application and soil health. Precision technology is certainly assisting them with improved accuracy and regulating input costs.

Driving through Wisconsin at the end of September, all was still relatively quiet in the cornfields that I passed.

When talking with strip-tillers, one question I’ll ask is what they’d most like to learn more about to help improve their farming operation.

On the drive from Brookfield, Wis., to Decatur, Ill., with two of my No-Till Farmer colleagues to this year's Farm Progress Show, we had about 400 miles of windshield time to pass -- some of which was admittedly spent lamenting the state of our pro baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers.

Change is seldom a simple process, especially when skepticism and indecision come into play. It takes confidence and a little encouragement to try something new - a combination I've learned to emphasize whenever my youngster is faced with an unfamiliar challenge.

I always relish the opportunity to hit the open road and visit with a variety of strip-tillers in a relatively short time span.

Since attending the 2013 InfoAg Conference in Springfield, Ill., a few weeks ago, I've had time to digest the abundance of information presented on new precision technologies and their application to farm operations.

During visits with strip-tillers, it's not often that I'll talk with someone who claims they have perfected the practice. Strip-till is constantly evolving and farmers tend to evolve right along with it, whether it's tweaking machinery, refining a fertility program or incorporating new technology.

Finding a strip-till setup to best suit your soil type, farm size and budget isn't always easy, especially if there aren't opportunities to test and see equipment at work. This was a challenge that Kimball, S.D., farmer Todd Boesen encountered when he first transitioned his corn operation to strip-till 5 years ago. While there were a number of custom strip-till operators in the south- central part of the state, Boesen says he didn't have a clear sense of where to start.

Change isn't always an easy sell to farmers who have relied on the same methodology for years or even decades, especially if they've had success. Farmers tend to rely on the two T's -- tillage and tradition, Minnesota strip-tiller David Legvold told me during a recent visit to his farm. In my opinion, you need to shift away from the traditional, and from practices that are damaging the soil.