Strip-Till Farmer

Lessiter Media is proud to announce Titan International has signed on as a Title Sponsor for all 4 live ag events, this includes the National No-Tillage Conference, Precision Farming Dealer Summit, National Strip-Tillage Conference and Dealership Minds Summit. “Titan is making a real commitment to educational content by sponsoring all 4 of our live ag events," says Lessiter Media Content Director Kim Schmidt.

While many no-tillers say residue simply “melts away” on their farm due to high biological function in their soils, not every grower may be blessed with the same circumstances. There are definite payoffs for growers who can ensure the biological degradation process occurs with residue ahead of the next growing season, says Dennis Klockenga.

Watch as we recognize the fourth class of the Strip-Till Hall of Fame inductees including Charlie Hammer, Nancy Kavazanjian, Jeff Martin and Mark Bauer! Each inductee makes an impassioned speech on the importance of strip-till in their lives and what joining the hall of fame means to them.

Joe Ailts, an independent agronomist and farmer from Deer Park, Wis., believes the best agronomic decisions come from understanding your specific fields, goals and constraints. “That’s why I emphasize on-farm research to test practices and products on your farm, under your conditions, to find what truly works for you,” he says. Ailts unpacks 7 years’ worth of research data to show how farmers can boost yields and profits while elevating their soil health.

As input costs rise, it’s more important than ever to efficiently fertilize your crops and reduce weed competition. In this dynamic kickoff presentation, Brian Hefty, who’s been strip-tilling for over 20 years on his 4,000-acre farm near Baltic, S.D., explores how to fine-tune your nutrient management and crop protection plans with a comprehensive breakdown of soil tests, fertilizer rates/placement, herbicides and spray timing/application.

Longtime strip-tiller and no-tiller Marion Calmer returns to the NSTC stage to share the latest discoveries from his independent on-farm research in Alpha, Ill. The 4-time Lessiter Media Speaker of the Year and No-Till Legend details his 10-10-10 System for strip-till and cover crops. Calmer aims to supercharge yields with the best of both worlds by combining 10 inches of cover crops with 10 inches of strip-tilled corn and 10 more inches of cover crops.

Strip-till and no-till complement each other well on Dean Sponheim’s farm. But both systems have their own benefits and drawbacks, he concludes after experimenting with a hybrid no-till/strip-till approach with cover crops for almost a decade in Osage, Iowa. Sponheim explains what strip-tillers should know about no-till — and vice versa — and compares how the two systems stack up. He also details the custom-built equipment that’s making strip-till and no-till easier to pull off in his operation.

After more than 30 years in strip-till, Dean Sponheim has seen the wins, setbacks and hard lessons learned that only time can teach. In this candid session, the 4th-generation farmer from Osage, Iowa, reveals what worked, whatdidn’t and the key adjustments that moved the needle on yield, soil health and efficiency during his 3-decade strip-till journey. Sponheim also taps into his passion for helping farmers navigate the psychological barriers of implementing change.

The strip-till dream team of Chris Perkins, 2024 Strip-Till Innovator and Best Speaker Award recipient, and Chris Kasten, soil test data analyst and co-founder of Agrimodis, share how they’re rethinking the traditional approach to strip-till nutrient management and plant testing. Perkins and Kasten detail a cutting-edge, data-driven approach that analyzes nutrient quantities, not concentrations, to pinpoint excessive and deficient nutrients in your crops.

Robert Boyle, the recipient of the 2026 Strip-Till Innovator Award, deals with drought conditions every year in Coolidge, Ariz. His 1,200 acre corn, cotton, alfalfa and dairy operation only gets about 7 inches of rain — if he’s lucky — and often it all comes over the course of 2-3 storms. Boyle tackles the challenge head on by embracing a strip-till mindset for everything he does, including water management.