Making no-till practices work on the Johnson farm near Frankfort, S.D., has been a study in contrasts.
When Brian Johnson’s father, Alan, first implemented no-till on the family’s farm 28 years ago, the goal was to conserve scant rains early in the growing season to bring corn, soybeans and wheat through typically a hot, dry end of the growing season.
And by eliminating tillage and maintaining a crop residue layer, the family accomplished moisture-retention goals…