No-Till Farmer Podcast

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter, we caught up with ong-time agronomist with Ceres Solutions, Betsy Bower, to get an agronomist’s viewpoint on no-till and cover crops.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer "Influencers & Innovators" podcast, brought to you by Mosaic Susterra, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Attica, Ohio, grower Jerry Eitle about the equipment and technology that made it possible to make the switch, including an Aerway aerator, Kinze planters and RTK guidance and much more.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast series, Jack Zemlicka, editorial director here at Lessiter Media, spoke with 6th-generation farmer Ben Riensche, owner and manager of Blue Diamond Farming Company in Jesup, Iowa. Riensche uses innovative and cutting-edge technology and management practices to guide the success of Blue Diamond, which has expanded dramatically over the past two decades.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer "Influencers & Innovators" podcast, brought to you by Mosaic Susterra, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Pennsylvania no-tiller Jim Hershey about some of the practices that have put him on a successful no-till path.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast series, I spoke with Holtwood, Pennsylvania no-tiller Steve Groff about his book, “The Future-Proof Farm,” which explores the market changes facing today’s farmers and how cover crops can help them stay resilient and relevant.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer “Influencers and Innovators” podcast, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Ohio State University weed scientist, Glover Triplett about some of his early experiences.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast series, we caught up with Jeff to talk about a new white paper put out recently by Rodale Institute, called “Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution,” which identifies the potential of regenerative ag practices to sequester carbon and improve soil health while feeding the world.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer “Influencers and Innovators” podcast, we’re bringing you part 2 of an interview that Cover Crop Strategies Associate Editor Sarah Hill did with Dwayne Beck, research manager of The Dakota Lakes Research Farm in Pierre, South Dakota, during the summer of 2020.

Indiana no-tiller Rick Clark has gained some notoriety recently as one of a handful of farmers who is making organic no-till work — and on a large scale. Cropping about 7,000 acres near Williamsport, he’s intensely focused on building soil health in his diverse system that includes seeding cover crops, planting green, reducing inputs and incorporating livestock. Acknowledging that he doesn’t have all the answers, he nonetheless stresses the importance of challenging the status quo. At the 2019 National No-Tillage Conference, for example, he said “I challenge everyone to get a little uncomfortable. I think you’ll like the way it feels.” In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast series, I caught up with Rick after he hosted a field day on his farm at the end of August, 2020 called “Regenerative Systems Deconstructed.” 250 people turned out for the event and several hundred more tuned in online to hear what Rick and other local experts had to say about his organic no-till operation. Tune in to hear about the equipment he uses, his approach to diverse cropping rotations, the weed outbreak progressions he’s seen since going organic, his thoughts on weeds becoming resistant to cover crops, and much more.

In 1976, Roy Applequist founded Great Plains Mfg. which went on to become one of the major suppliers of no-till farming equipment. A few years later, the company saw the need for equipment designed specifically for the no-till industry and built its first no-till drill prototypes in 1981. For this episode of the No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators podcast, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter reminisces with Roy about how he got involved with building no-till equipment. Tune in as they discuss how Roy’s background making bearings led to the first Great Plains folding grain drill, turning a product flaw into a customer relations success, why Great Plains started putting depth wheels on individual row units, diversifying with twin-row and vertical tillage equipment, spreading the word about no-till around the world and much more.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast series, I caught up with Josh and Rebecca to get a little inside scoop about their latest film, Kiss the Ground, which takes a wide-ranging look at regenerative ag practices and how they can be used to can help sequester carbon in the soil, reduce greenhouse gasses in the environment and improve the nutrient content of the food we eat.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer “Influencers and Innovators” podcast, No-Till Farmer Editor Frank Lessiter talks with soil health specialist and rhizosphere ecologist, Jill Clapperton about the importance of no-till in building healthy soil structure.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Pivot Bio, we're joined by Trace Genomics co-founder, Poornima Parameswaran, who explains what Trace Genomics’ soil DNA test is able to analyze and how it can help farmers and agronomists target inputs and better understand the variables that affect crop health and yields.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, we're joined by Cover Crop Strategies Associate Editor Sarah Hill in the first of a two-part interview with Dwayne Beck to discuss the Dakota Lakes Research Farm in Pierre, South Dakota.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Pivot Bio, senior editor John Dobberstein spoke with Craig Bednarz, director of the West Texas A&M Semi-Arid Agricultural Systems who discusses his recent appointment, the big changes in store for the research program at the Institute and the renewed focus on promoting no-tilling and cover crops that growers should start to notice later this year.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Halford about the zero-till movement in Canada, the development of the Conserva Pak and how no-till has made it possible for growers to farm more acres.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Pivot Bio, we caught up with no-tiller Bryan Tomm of Carmi, Illinois by phone to talk about nitrogen and his efforts to preserve this costly input.

In this episode of the “No-Till FarmerInfluencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter Frank Lessiter talks with David about his approach to converting CRP ground, including why he says soybeans are a great crop to plant for the first-year of production and how he goes about terminating sod beforehand.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Pivot Bio, West Union, Iowa no-tiller Loran Steinlage sat down with Jay Baxter, who no-tills more than 2,000 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, sweet corn, and more in Georgetown, Delaware, in a conversation that was moderated by Jen Nelson of Resource Smart.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Sixth-generation farmer Ray McCormick about his diverse operation. Listen in as Ray talks about growing non-GMO corn and why he plants it late, how he uses annual ryegrass in flood-prone areas, using cover crops in food plots for deer and waterfowl, keeping his landlords happy, how Roundup has been instrumental in conservation efforts and much more.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Pivot Bio, we caught up with soil scientist Rattan Lal and talked about how he came to focus on carbon instead of synthetic inputs, the connection between the health of the soil and human vitality, how carbon affects the soil’s ability to hold onto nutrients and water, the 5 components of conservation agriculture, optimizing production instead of maximizing production and much more!

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Ag engineer Paul Jasa with the University of Nebraska about his many years studying no-till.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by FR8STAR, we met up with Gary Zimmer, also known as the “father” of biological farming, on the Taliesin grounds where he talked about his system of biological farming.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Dr. Erin Silva, associate professor specializing in organic and sustainable cropping systems at the University of Wisconsin.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by FR8STAR, we’ll hear excerpts from our conversation with Wolford, North Dakota no-tiller Paul Overby and General Mills’ Senior Principal Scientist Research Agronomist Tom Rabaey in which they talk about the General Mills Regenerative Agriculture pilot program.

In this No-Till Farmer “Innovator and Influencer” podcast, we look back at a reduced tillage practice that was developed even before the no-till movement got started. In this episode, No-Till Farmer Editor Frank Lessiter talks with “Bud” Fleischer of Columbus, Nebraska.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by FR8STAR, West Union, Iowa no-tiller Loran Steinlage is joined by Dale Richardson, who no-tills about 500 acres of corn, soybeans and cover crops just outside of Springfield, Missouri.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer “Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with independent ag consultant Joe Nester.

In this podcast, we hear from veteran no-tiller Mark Chapman, who systematically refines his operation with efficiency as one of his main drivers. Andrew Reuschel, who was a speaker at the 2020 conference, says his system is guided by his profitable use of soil-building cover crops. My third guest was Alan Smock, who runs a demonstration farm on a university campus and is always looking for ways to prevent further erosion and nutrient loss on the rolling ground.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer “Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with retired USDA soil scientist Don Reicosky.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by FR8STAR, we’ll hear from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who outlines the CFAP relief package and then takes questions from the press.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor catches up with two experienced farmers — David Hula and Darin Stolte — from the floor at this year’s Commodity Classic Show in San Antonio for insights into record-breaking corn yields and targeted nutrient management.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Auction Time, we'll share a discussion between Ralph Upton Jr. of Springerton, Illinois and ag researcher John Pike. We’ll cover their exchange which delves into research Upton had done on his farm after a 1983 drought revealed that he had a plow pan layer about 6 inches deep in his soil profile that was preventing his crops from getting needed moisture.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Rogers, Neb., farmer Ed Neesen, who, after a series of dry springs combined with a problem with potential carryover of a soybean herbicide, was inspired to make some tillage equipment changes in the 1980s.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, and for occasional future episodes, we’ve paired West Union, Iowa, no-tiller Loran Steinlage up with a no-tiller he’s never met before and asked him to record their conversation. In this installment., brought to you by Yetter Mfg., Loran met with Angela Knuth who’s been no-tilling and strip-tilling in Mead with her family since 2005.

In this episode of the "No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Jeff Mitchell, a Cropping Systems Cooperative Extension Specialist at the University of California, Davis, who has been active in leading the evolution of reduced-disturbance and cover crop systems in the Golden State.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Mfg., we’re joined by Russell Hedrick who talks about how his experience as a young first-generation farmer faced with soil erosion led him on the path to using no-till, cover crops, incorporating livestock, and more.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Jake Kaderly, an agronomist with 38 years of experience and a 2018 winner of No-Till Farmer’s Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners program who also no-tills 300 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and cover crops in south-central Wisconsin.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Mfg., we’re going to talk tires, and specifically, we’ll hear about central tire inflation systems (CTIS), which are becoming increasingly prevalent on today’s tractors and other heavy ag equipment.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Frank Martin who has been no-tilling for nearly 20 years and continually updates and modifies his practices.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Mfg., we caught up with Gaston, Indiana, no-tiller Jason Mauck by phone and he shared some details about how his ever-evolving system works and some of the experiments he’s been implementing to utilize the abundant manure generated by the 12,000 hogs in his operation.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Ross Morgan of H&R Agri-Power, who had a front-row seat during the growth and development of the no-till movement.

In this episode of the <em>No-Till Farmer</em> podcast, brought to you by Yetter Mfg., we caught up with Mike Bredeson, a research scientist with the Ecdysis Foundation who'll share some of his findings about how neonicotinoids are metabolized as well as background info on the Ecdysis Foundation.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Garth Mulkey of GS3 Quality Seed, who grows about 15 different crops outside of Monmouth, Ore, mostly for the seed industry. “No-till has been a great time saver. It’s been great for our soils. We’ve implemented cover crops the last 5-7 years on the ground where it fits. I’m very happy being a no-till farmer, and we’ve had some influence, my peer group and myself, on our neighbors. There’s not a big revolution in no-till in our area, but it’s certainly a tool that people are open to using these days.…” — Garth Mulkey Listen in as Garth talks about no-till transplanting, developing the daikon radish seed known as NitroRadish, how no-till cut his planting window by about 70%, how he keeps slugs in check, the business challenges he faced when commodity prices dropped in 2012, and much more!

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Mfg., we’re joined by long-time no-tiller Steve Groff from Holtwood, Pa., who talks about how to cope when cover cropping goes awry, shares stories from his own cover crop failures, and answers questions about cover cropping challenges.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with retired no-tiller Bob Featheringill of Attica, Ohio, who began no-tilling more than 40 years ago on highly erosive clay soils 25 miles from Lake Erie. He also did a lot of work calibrating and improving seed meters to optimize seed placement.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Mfg., we’re sharing a recent talk that soil microbiologist Dr. Kris Nichols gave at the Clemson Soil Health Conference, where she delved into the biology of soil and how producers can maximize their soil biological systems.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators podcast, brought to you by Topcon Agriculture, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Dr. Jonathan Lundgren, founder of Blue Dasher Farm and the Ecdysis Foundation.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Mfg., we're joined by Doug Newton and Loran Steinlage, who talk no-till, compare notes about their experiences, the soil health and other benefits they’ve seen from the practice.

In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, brought to you by Topcon Agriculture, No-Till Farmer editor Frank Lessiter talks with Mike Starkey, who no-tills 2,500 acres of wheat, corn, soybeans and hay in Brownsburg, Ind..