Strip-Tillage Saves the Crop on this Illinois Farm

By: Des Keller

In 2018, Andrew Reuschel, a Golden, Illinois, farmer, was moving firmly down a regenerative agriculture path that is key in building soil carbon. Following in a soil conservation mode begun by his grandfather, Louis, and continued with his father, Jeff, their fields were nearing 100% no-till.

Andrew continuously experimented with multispecies cover crops — some of which he might plant up to three times on a single field during a calendar year. The strategies were working well. Corn yields tallied more than 200 bushels per acre with reduced herbicide and fertilizer use. The soils grew richer with organic matter, of which soil carbon is a key component. All seemed right with the world. Well, almost