No-till on the Plains

10/12/2026

2027 No-till on the Plains Winter Conference Speaker Spotlight!

Matt Rasmussen a 5th generation farmer and a 2nd generation seed seller near Fremont, Nebraska. Matt and his Dad, Larry raise yellow corn, white corn, and soybeans. Additionally they have a neighbor graze cows on as much of the prior year's cornstalk ground as possible. The operation has been no-till for the last 35 years with some cover crop experimentation along the way. Currently Matt is raising the biodiversity of his soil using annual soil genomics testing to drive the application of microbial inoculants. Everything is applied with the farm's existing equipment (planter, sprayer, center pivot). The healing evidences of diversity has been an encouraging development especially in the last 5 years! As a result, resistant w**d pressure has decreased, soil nutritional levels have improved, and soil functionality has also become much more reliable. On the seed side, Matt uses his influence in the genetics discussion to steer growers toward next generation soil testing, which in turn, guides fertility and crop protection options for the growing season. Matt and his wife Cari have three children, Cade (Senior at University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Ava (Sophomore at Grand Canyon University), and Bronson (Sixth grader at Fremont Public Schools). In his non-work time Matt enjoys serving at his church, hanging out with his family, being out in nature, and cheering on the Huskers!

Registration is now open so take advantage of the early bird discounted pricing! Make plans to join the Winter Conference January 19-20, 2027 at the Wichita Marriott.

https://notill.org/winter

10/08/2026

Conference Speaker Spotlight-AIM Edition!

Nigel Palmer
Nigel is a lifelong gardener and author of “The Regenerative Growers Guide to Garden Amendments.” An aerospace engineer for 36 years has inspired a data-driven approach to growing relying on the amazing complexities of nature and the diversity of materials available at virtually no cost to feed and nourish the soil plant ecosystem. He is the Director of Plant and Soil Health at The Institute of Sustainable Nutrition, teaches internationally, is a frequent podcast guest, offers Regenerative, Sustainable workshops, and can be found on YouTube. He was a teacher at TIOSN for 10+ years, programs at Quinnipiac University, Texas State University, NOFA CT, MA, NY, Featured Speaker at Common Ground Fair, International online classes, National and International podcasts.

AIM morning Program Title

Low Cost, No Cost, Sustainable Farm-Made Mineral Amendments – The Nature of Nature

Program Description
All systems run on energy and the plant soil ecosystem is no exception. Understanding plant energy flow helps explain why pathogens take hold, why insect infestations occur and helps make informed decisions in the field.
The plant energy expended to assimilate products applied to the field is not often considered. A plant soil model that includes plant energy flow will be presented that can be used to evaluate farming practices and explain why Farm-Made Mineral Amendments are so effective.

Hands-on demonstrations will show how easy it is to make fermented plant juices and vinegar extractions. We will review the mineral analysis of these products, discuss their use as foliar sprays and drenches scaled to meet any operation size and review their use during phases of plant development.
Finally, an agricultural cost benefit worksheet will be reviewed. Bring your curiosity, questions and a friend!

Registration is open and the first 10 people to register for the AIM symposium will receive a copy of Nigel's book, "The regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments."

Register today at: https://notill.org/events/agriculture%E2%80%99s-innovative-minds-aim-symposium

09/28/2026

2027 Winter Conference Speaker Spotlight!

Paul Jasa needs no introduction! As a former No-till on the Plains Board member, most of you have seen him at conference in year's past. Paul's term on the board expired in 2024, and he then went to become a founding member of the Nebraska Soil Health Coalition in Nebraska.

Paul, Retired Extension Engineer, formerly with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, develops and conducts educational programs related to crop production that improve profitability, build soil health, and reduce risks to the environment. He has been working with planting equipment and tillage system evaluation at the University since 1978. Across the years, he’s worked with soil and water conservation, residue management, crop rotations, and, more recently, cover crops and soil health.

With Paul's experiences gained from research and Extension activities, he has become one of the best sources of information in the Midwest on no-till planting equipment and system management to protect and build the soil. Paul admits, if there is a mistake to be made with no-till, he's either made it himself or has seen it done. More importantly, he has learned from those mistakes and shares that information in presentations that stress the systems approach and the long-term benefits of continuous no-till. Paul will be sharing with us, "what he's learned in 40+ years of No-till" and equipment considerations of No-till.

Registration is open so make sure to take advantage of the Early Bird savings! Make plans to be in Wichita, January 19-20, 2027 for the 31st Annual No-till on the Plains Winter Conference.

https://www.notill.org/winter

09/22/2026

2027 Conference Keynote Speaker Spotlight

Graeme Sait is the CEO and co-founder of Nutri-Tech Solutions (NTS), a world leader in regenerative agriculture. He is also an author/educator responsible for over 300 published articles and a popular book, "Nutrition Rules". He created the internationally acclaimed, five day, “Certificate In Nutrition Farming”, and authored the associated, 360 page training manual.

His latest teaching vehicle, “The Nutrition Farming Podcast” has become an International phenomenon with hundreds of thousands of listens in over 70 countries. Graeme is a sought after speaker, specialising is soil health, plant health and animal health. More recently, that emphasis has expanded to include planetary health, in recognition of the link between humus and carbon sequestration.

His TED talk “Humus Saves the World”, has had half a million views. His more recent video contribution involves his popular, “How to do it”, YouTube series, which is now in its fifth season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q1VnwcpW7E&t=458s

Graeme is also an expert in human nutrition and his fascinating presentations cover every aspect of wellness. His seminars are often described as "life changing".

Graeme will also lead a preconference workshop on Monday, January 18, 2027 at the Wichita Marriott. More information coming soon!

Registration is now open, so take advantage of the early bird pricing to save some money!

https://www.notill.org/winter-National No-Tillage Conference

09/18/2026

The 2027 No-till on the Plains Winter Conference Sponsorship portal is open! If you are not on our mailing list and would like the full packet, please reach out at Aaron at [email protected] to be added to the e-mail list.

If you've never been to the Winter Conference, don't miss this opportunity! It's as unique of a conference experience as you can find. The sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, and all attendees are under ONE roof! This adds a special element to be able to really meet and network with people from around the country as well as the growing international audience.

Don't delay-several spots are already booked and many exhibitors from last year will be back in their same locations.

Make plans to join us January 19-20, 2027 in Wichita, Kansas at the Wichita Marriott for the 31st Annual No-till on the Plains Winter Conference.
https://www.notill.org/annual-winter-conference/2026-winter-conference-sponsor-opportunities

09/02/2026

Neighboring North Dakota producers Tyler Zimmerman and Chris Walberg explain how they work together to improve their soil and profitability and incorporate livestock onto cropland.



Tyler Zimmerman

Tyler Zimmerman is a 3rd generation farmer in SE North Dakota on the edge of the Red River Valley consisting of 3000 cropland acres. He transitioned all his acres to No-till and cover crops in 2015. The farm has adopted a complex crop rotation with over 10 different crops including polycropping. Tyler is continuing his soil health journey by finding ways to keep reducing synthetic inputs by building better biological environments in the soil. Tyler is learning how to regenerate the soil today for the future generations.



Chris Walberg

Chris Walberg, along with his wife Sarah and 5 daughters, is a fifth-generation farmer on their ranch that was established in the 1890’s. He has been farming for 20+ years and has been transitioning to regenerative farming and ranching practices the last 6-7 years. He operates about 4000 acres of cropland and pastureland in SE North Dakota.

09/02/2026

Sarah Ganske, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, K-State
Sarah Ganske began is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Kansas State University Agronomy Department. Her efforts are focused on w**d management extension and research in agronomic crops. Sarah was raised on an integrated crop and livestock farm in east central Missouri and earned degrees from the University of Missouri, North Carolina State University, and Texas A&M University.

08/31/2026

There will be more speakers released as we are working through gathering bios and photos of all conference speakers! Registration opens this week! www.notill.org

08/31/2026

08/19/2026

Join our friends at Ottawa County Kansas Conservation District for their 5th Annual Soil Health Field Day. No-till on the Plains is buying lunch! It should be a great day of learning from producers that are willing to share. If you missed Kevin last week on the Southern Plains Bus Tour here's your chance to hear him speak!