No-Till Farmer Podcast

At this year’s 34th National No-Tillage Conference in St. Louis, I heard the real story behind a federal controversy I’ve wondered about for 10 years. This revelation came during a classroom session presented by Jonathan Lundgren. Now the operator of Blue Dasher Farms in Estelline, S.D., Lundgren gave up a career path as a USDA scientist due to unfortunate political manipulation by folks in Washington.

A half-dozen years before I concentrated my ag journalism career on no-till, I edited Massey-Ferguson’s 6-times-a-year Farm Profit magazine that circulated to 400,000 U.S. growers. This memory came up with the recent news that a western Canadia startup company (Ursa Ag) is building tractors with very little technology — selling them for half the price of today’s more advanced tractors.

In recent years, our No-Till Farmer editors have shared numerous conversations with no-tillers interested in finding new ways to expand farm income past traditional cash crop, milk and meat production. While we’ve seen many opportunities for developing a direct-to-consumer business, many growers maintain it seems like too much work.

If you’re no-tilling and seeding cover crops, you’re in a much better position to deal with higher nitrogen (N) prices than many other growers. That’s because cover crops can provide up to 100 pounds per acre of N you don’t have to buy.

No-Till Farmer Editor Frank Lessiter returned to the National No-Tillage Conference in January to moderate a thought-provoking discussion with No-Till Innovators Jim Moseley, Rodney Rulon and Lisa Holscher about the critical role farmer-to-farmer mentorship plays in the advancement of no-till, cover crops and other conservation practices.

If you ever had the chance to meet Dick Foell, you quickly realized his excitement for no-till knew no bounds. Unfortunately, Dick passed away at the age of 90 on March 1 at his home in central California. Through his journey he touched many lives with his wisdom, humor and an unwavering spirit of perseverance. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Laraine ‘Chic’ Foell, two daughters, two sons, 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

Relay Cropping, New No-Till Drill Among Early #Plant26 Highlights by No-Till Farmer

In this No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Bio-Till Cover Crops, we’re sharing the conversations we had this week with Quality Drills and Alaska Agro about the logistics of this long haul, the no-till retrofit project, and hear more about the no-till field coming up at the farm.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Titan International, we share a key takeaway from the USDA Prospective Plantings report, and catch up with Wisconsin no-tiller Kevin Klahn to discuss his state record-breaking soybean yield.

In this No-Till Farmer podcast brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, Senior Editor John Dobberstein shares highlights from his interviews with several exhibitors at the Commodity Classic show in San Antonio as they discussed products, innovations and management strategies that you’ll find of interest for this coming season.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Lake City, Iowa no-tiller/strip-tiller Mark Schleisman shares how cover crops helped his family sweep the NCGA corn yield contest in Iowa last year. Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award recipient Michael E. Berg shines light on his family’s conservation practices near the flood-prone Pecatonica River.

At Commodity Classic 2026 in San Antonio, U.S. Secretary Brooke Rollins, NRCS Secretary Aubrey Bettencourt and USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce answered many questions from the farm media about the state of U.S. trade, the fighting to eliminate the new world screw worm, input costs, E-15, the USDA’s relocation to hub offices in the heartland, farm succession and more.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, we head out to Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas, for key takeaways from the USDA press conference addressing its computer network overhaul. Plus, Environmental Tillage Systems and Case IH give us a first-look at the companies’ new strip-till rigs that debuted at Commodity Classic.

In today’s episode, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, listen to a discussion with Bladen, Neb., no-tiller and Co-Owner of Green Cover Seed, Keith Berns, as he talks about his new book Cover Crops 101. The book explores cover crop benefits, species selection, seeding methods and much more.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, we head inside the 2026 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky., for a look at new equipment and residue management insights from No-Till Innovator Phil Needham. Plus, agronomist Brad Forkner shares some innovative new inputs, including a product called Squid Juice.

In today’s episode, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, listen to a discussion about Pennsylvania No-Till Pioneer Bill Cannon. You’ll hear from 4 different people who were heavily influenced by Bill and worked closely with him before his passing.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, longtime no-tiller Chris Weaver explains how he prepared his record-breaking soybean plot with a roller-crimper in the fall. Plus, we get the scoop on some breaking news in the equipment world, including Yetter’s plans to acquire Martin, and Horizon Ag’s big debut in the U.S.

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Leopold Conservation Award recipient Jim Hershey shares some of his latest conservation tips and tricks from his Elizabethtown, Pa., farm. Fellow no-tiller Joseph Kern describes how planting green has transformed his operation in Mariah Hill, Ind.

Iowa no-tiller and executive director of the Conservation Technology Information Center, Ryan Heiniger, and his son Mat talk about the new cover crop business they founded and what it’s like to go from father and son to business partners.

In the latest edition of the No-Till Farmer podcast — brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, No-Till Farmer President and CEO Mike Lessiter caught up with Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Executive Director of the Modern Ag Alliance, following her TED TALK-style presentation at the 2026 National No-Tillage Conference in St. Louis. Burns-Thompson discusses the work being done to protect farmers’ choices in crop protection tools, reflects on her ag journey and dives deeper into the important role everyone in conservation agriculture plays and much more.