Defending the Land Blog

From Oakes, ND, the Quandt family has had award-winning entries in the NCGA yield contest since 1993. One secret to their recent success is strip-tillage. The farm began strip-tilling in 2001 and transitioned 95% of the farm to strip-tillage seven years ago. They have used the SoilWarrior® zone...

The ETS team joined over 200 strip-till enthusiasts in Bloomington, IN at the beginning of August to share best practices for soil health at the National Strip-Till Conference. Of the many agronomists, consultants and farmers that presented at the conference, we are featuring four on our Defending...

The ETS team traveled the Midwest this summer to gather knowledge from leading experts on reducing soil erosion and improving soil health. From North Dakota to Iowa and Ohio, SoilWarrior customers, strip-tillage enthusiasts and farmers alike gathered to share best practices for sustainable land...

Strip-tillage is a great way to cut production costs, be more efficient with time and nutrient placement, and build soil health. But the journey to developing the right strip-till system for your farm can take years of experimentation, practice, and determination. The National Strip-Tillage...

Soil Health & Farm Productivity Consider the amazing ways earthworms contribute to soil health and farm productivity. Their activity in the soil offers many benefits including increased nutrient availability, better drainage, and a more stable soil structure, all of which help improve farm...

With the continued debate of tillage versus more conservational-minded practices, farmers have traditionally been stuck trying to make decisions between their yield quality and land management practices. But what if it’s possible for farmers to have both? According to a study conducted by Purdue...

Farmer is just one of the many titles Minnesota farmer David Legvold has held throughout his lifetime. He’s also been a teacher, executive director of a non-profit watershed organization, a controller at his local John Deere dealer, and most recently the driver of the instrument semi for the...

The more Iowa farmer Ben Pederson hears about the use of cover crops, the more convinced he is that it was the right addition to his current cropping practices. Already a strong advocate for strip-tillage, Pederson believes the use of cover crops in his cropping program was an obvious addition. In...

Brian Ryberg may be a relative newcomer to strip-till, but you’d be hard pressed to find a farmer more committed to it. Ryberg Farms near Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, grows corn, soybeans, and sugarbeets. He began farming with his father more than 30 years ago and now runs the operation with his wife...

The world of agriculture changes so quickly that farmers need to stay diligent just to keep up. The challenges can multiply when farmers are adopting new or alternative farming practices like strip tillage. For many farmers considering new conservation tillage practices or looking for innovative...