Michael Thompson
STANDING TALL. Michael Thompson says his standing forages are money in the bank for forage and off-season grazing.

Diversified Crops and Grazing Cattle Provide No-Till Benefits

By Dan Crummett posted on February 28, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

Northwest Kansas no-tiller says his soil building and nutrient cycling didn’t start until he added livestock to his diversified farming operation. He credits grazing and cover crops for erosion control and yield increases.

When Michael Thompson was 18 he envisioned himself joining his parents in their farming operation in northwestern Kansas and becoming a dedicated, 100% cash grain farmer. However, life and generations of conventional farming got in the way.

“I was all fired up that I was going to be a farmer. I was going to graduate high school, take some ag classes and come back to the farm,” he explains. “In 1997 I had the mindset…

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KEYWORDS cash grain farmers conventional farming conventional tillage practices Nutrient Cycling soil organic matter content
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Dan Crummett

The late Dan Crummett had more than 40 years in regional and national agricultural journalism including editing state farm magazines, web-based machinery reporting and had a long-term interest in no-till and conservation tillage. He held B.S. and M.S. degrees from Oklahoma State University.

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