-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Breda-area farmer Jeff Pudenz began switching to no-till in the late 1990s. He shared his experiences with no-till during Iowa State University Extension’s Master Conservationist course, which was held in Greene and Boone counties this past summer. Master Conservationists share an interest in the sustainability of Iowa's natural resources, including the soil, and build their knowledge to become better stewards of those resources.

BREDA — While there’s plenty of farm work to do as fall draws near, there’s one thing Jeff Pudenz won’t be doing — worrying about tilling his fields after harvest. He parked the tillage equipment in the late 1990s and hasn’t looked back.

“The first year I tried no-till on standing cornstalks going into soybeans the next year,” said Pudenz, who farms in the Breda area and lives near Churdan. “It worked, so I kept expanding my no-till acres after that.”

One of the biggest advantages he noticed right away was the fuel savings.

“In one growing season I used 3,000 fewer gallons of fuel right off the bat. There’s also less wear and tear on your equipment, since you’re not making as many trips across the field.”

Pudenz shared his insights into no-till and conservation from a farmer’s perspective during Iowa State University Extension’s Master Conservationist course, which was held in Greene and Boone counties this summer.

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
No-till has been called the low-hanging fruit in conservation.

“A lot of people call no-till ‘no crop,’ but that’s not my experience,” he said. “My goal is to keep adding more organic matter and humus to the soil.”

Leaving the residue undisturbed in the fall also helps catch snow in the winter. In addition, precious soil doesn’t blow into the ditches, causing “snirt” (snow mixed with dirt).

“Since I switched to no-till, wind and water erosion are basically gone,” Pudenz said.

No-till: the low-hanging fruit of conservation farming

No-till has been called the low-hanging fruit in conservation. “Farming without fall tillage is farming with the least amount of equipment and in the least amount of time,” noted Jim Richardson in a column for Prairie Rivers of Iowa, a nonprofit organization that was affiliated with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and is now an independent nonprofit that coordinates water quality and soil health educational projects across Iowa.

Leaving crop residue on top of the land throughout the winter has long been recognized as a farming practice that reduces erosion, builds soil organic matter and takes the pressure off of getting the harvest done so you can get tillage done, Richardson wrote.

He began seriously thinking about no-till around the time Pudenz was starting to implement it on his acres.

“Let’s see, if I don’t till my corn stalks this fall, my fall expenses will be much less,” Richardson wrote. “Lot smaller fuel bill, and I won’t have to hire my uncle to do the ripping while I finish up the combining. I’ve already got trash whippers on my planter, so next spring I won’t have to do any tillage before I plant my soybeans.”

With all the residue on top, Richardson figured this would probably hold down the early-season weed pressure, so maybe he’d only have to spray once when the beans were half grown.

“I’m saving money! My banker will love it!” Richardson wrote. “Next year, since I won’t be needing that big piece of iron known as the v-ripper, I can sell it and pay down on my machinery loan. I noticed I didn’t get my big 4-wheel drive tractor out of the shed this year, so maybe I can sell that, too. This is where I was in 1999. I’ve been a no-tiller ever since.”

Understanding soil health is key

Pudenz can relate. He’s grateful he had two mentors who began no-tilling in the 1970s to guide him when he started getting interested in no-till around 1992-93. Both mentors farmed within 20 miles of his farm.

“I began realizing that no-till could work in my area,” Pudenz said. “I also studied what did and didn’t work.”

By 1998-99, Pudenz took the plunge and planted his first no-till soybeans.

“One mentor stressed the importance of using trash whippers on the planter,” he said. “They are a key to no-till and made a 15-bushel difference for me at harvest.”

Good closing wheels on the planter are also essential, Pudenz added. Using the right equipment, and truly understanding the ins and outs of no-till, make the difference between success and failure.

Pudenz reallocated the money he saved in fuel from no-till and invested in a planting system that allows him to produce great yields. “The farm equipment today is outstanding,” he said. “Just as important as the right equipment, however, is a meticulous operator who pays attention to detail.”

No-till doesn’t mean Pudenz never uses tillage equipment. “You need to till once in a while to manage ruts and incorporate fertilizer. My ground gets field cultivated once every six years.”

Switching to no-till isn’t a decision to be made lightly.

“There is a learning curve,” Pudenz said, “and you have to sift through the information that’s out there to determine what works for you.”

Understanding soil health principles is also vital to make no-till work.

“It’s a whole program,” Pudenz said. “You can’t just pick one or two things and expect it to work.”

Also, be prepared for pushback, Pudenz added.

“The banker might say no-till is too risky,” he said. “Also, the machinery company, fertilizer supplier and fuel company aren’t going to be selling you as much.”

Pudenz went from applying almost 200 pounds of nitrogen (N) per acre to 100 units of N.

He applies 40 units at planting and 60 units during the growing season. “To me, the definition of

a true conservationist is someone who knows if you can get the job done with fewer resources,

the better.”

As he prepares to enter his 50th year in farming in 2025, Pudenz continues to reap the benefits of no-till.

“When I switched to no-till, people thought I was crazy,” he said. “Now they ask me questions about how I make it work, especially since I’m not trying to sell them anything.”

For anyone new to no-till, Pudenz recommends starting with acres that will be planted to soybeans.

“Walk before you run, since there are a lot of variables. Read and research all you can about no-till,” he said. “Listen to other farmers you can trust who are succeeding with no-till. There are people out there who can guide you.”