No-till Farmer Podcast

For this podcast, Frank Lessiter talks with Rich Follmer, who became known as the ‘grandfather ‘ of strip-till, about that early strip-till toolbar, how he started building berms in the fall, his thoughts on using cover crops in a strip-till operation, the future of the strip industry and much more.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, fifth-generation grower Kelly Garrett discusses how his management practices align with the carbon credits marketplace, why he started entering National Corn Growers Association yield contests, the benefits of using a soybean byproduct fertilizer and much more.

For this podcast, we, sat down with Bill Richards to talk about the history of no-till adoption on his farm, the early innovators that helped him along, such as Kinze founder John Kinzenbaw and international product engineer Ralph Bumheckel, and some of the equipment modifications he made that helped him successfully adopt no-till.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter, we’re sharing a conversation with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, entomologist Dr. Jonathan Lundgren to discuss a new research paper he’s written called “Defining and validating regenerative farm systems using a composite of ranked agricultural practices.”

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators podcast, editor Frank Lessiter talks with Thompson about how his understanding of no-till evolved through experiments with ridge-till, skip-till and strip-till before he converted 100% to no-till in 1991.

For this week’s podcast, we’re sharing a conversation between Cover Crop Strategies associate editor Sarah Hill and Bill Johnson, professor of weed science with Purdue University. In this interview, Johnson discusses how field management impacts weed problem, how herbicide applications influence cover crops and cash crops, herbicide antagonism, how cover crops can mitigate weed growth, and more!

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators podcast, editor Frank Lessiter talks with Marion about the discoveries he’s made in his nearly 4 decades of no-tilling, including why he says no-till offers at least a $50 per acre advantage over tillage, what he considers his biggest mistakes early on, his thoughts on getting P & K deeper into the soil profile, plans for capitalizing on the $4 return he gets for every $1 of applied nitrogen, and much more.

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, we share a reading of a story from David Moose, which explains how he’s succeeded with continuous soybean acres by widening the rows, cutting populations and using a biological seed treatment to aid in germination.

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 the production ag manager for the Spokane Conservation District, Ty Meyer who discusses how no-till got started in the Palouse area, the challenges of integrating cover crops on dryland acres and much more.

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 th

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.