Over 400 farmers, agronomists, researchers, educators and manufacturers from all over the U.S. and other countries including Canada and France packed the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and BOS Center in downtown Springfield, Ill., Aug. 6-7, for the 13th annual National Strip-Tillage Conference.

The action got started a day early for nearly 100 attendees at the pre-conference workshop, hosted by ForGround by Bayer at the Bayer Crop Science Research Farm. Attendees rotated through 4 stations covering long-term strip-till, no-till and cover crop trials, FieldView innovations, key insights on carbon programs and the Preceon Smart Corn System. The workshop wrapped up with a BBQ dinner and live podcast recording and discussion featuring Otwell, Ind., Strip-Till Innovator Chris Perkins.

On Thursday morning, it was nearly standing room only for Brian Hefty’s kickoff presentation, “Feeding and Weeding Your Strip-Tilled Crops.” The longtime strip-tiller and co-host of the popular Ag PhD shows delivered a thought-provoking, meat and potatoes-style, presentation on nutrient management and weed control, setting the tone for an action-packed 2 days of learning and networking.

Osage, Iowa, strip-tiller Dean Sponheim followed up Hefty’s talk with a look at the wins, setbacks and hard lessons learned from his 30-year strip-till journey. Sponheim also touched on the psychological aspect of making the switch to strip-till, sharing strategies for dealing with the feelings of being overwhelmed that hold some back from making key adjustments. “No matter where you are in the process, there’s always room for improvement and change,” Sponheim says.

Following a networking lunch, Perkins and Chris Kasten detailed their cutting-edge, data-driven approach to plant testing that analyzes nutrient quantities, not concentrations, to pinpoint excessive and deficient nutrients in strip-tilled crops. Their new methods have allowed farmers to estimate yield potential as early as V8.

Coolidge, Ariz., Strip-Till Innovator Robert Boyle rounded out Thursday’s general sessions with a deep-dive into his unique system and keys to success for strip-tilling and incorporating cover crops in dry conditions.

Friday morning kicked off with a networking breakfast and Strip-Till Hall of Fame ceremony honoring this year’s class of inductees — Jeff Martin (Mount Pulaski, Ill.), Mark Bauer (Faribault, Minn.) and Charlie Hammer and Nancy Kavazanjian (Beaver Dam, Wis.).

Four-time Lessiter Media Speaker of the Year and No-Till Legend Marion Calmer returned to the general session stage to share the latest discoveries from his independent on-farm research in Alpha, Ill. He detailed his 10-10-10 system for strip-till and cover crops, shared residue management strategies and combed through recent soil test data to determine the correct depth for P and K placement.

LeRoy, N.Y., strip-tiller Donn Branton closed out the general sessions with the Anniversary Lecture, taking a look back at some of the biggest changes he’s made in his operation since his NSTC presentation 10 years ago.  

The conference featured 14 roundtable discussions and 13 breakout classroom sessions covering everything from soil health and cover crops to toolbar setups, nutrient management and precision technology. Strip-Till Farmer will share highlights and insights gleaned from all the sessions throughout the coming months on StripTillFarmer.com.

Attendees also got an up-close look at the latest strip-till equipment and product innovations from the event's 16 title sponsors: Ag Leader, AgSynergy, Case IH, Dawn, Environmental Tillage Systems, ForGround by Bayer, Huma, Kuhn Krause, LandLuvr, Lynx, eKonomics, Total Farm Marketing, Unverferth, Vulcan Equipment, Yetter Farm Equipment and Zimmerman Manufacturing.

Early registration is underway for the 2027 National Strip-Tillage Conference, taking place in the Quad Cities for the first time ever, Aug. 5-6.