Soil conditions in Pennsylvania can vary as much as the terrain, from sandy or clay loam to rocks and knobs of shale — presenting a potential nightmare for no-tillers trying to achieve consistent stands and protect yield potential.

Crop prices may be down, but that isn’t stopping no-tillers from using cover crops. In fact, more no-tillers are seeding them than ever before — No-Till Farmer’s 2016 No-Till Operational Benchmark Study found a record 77% of survey respondents seeded covers last year (see page 42), making 2016 the fifth consecutive year where the number increased.