This week I’ve got another update from this year’s Conservation ag Operator Fellow — Wisconsin no-tiller Tony Peirick. Let’s take a listen as he gives us his official 2026 planting season update. 

“We got started a little later this year with the moisture, as we know everybody has this year. Guess started like the first week in the first full week in May and we're moving right along. The conditions have really improved. They dried out considerably. I think a lot of it has helped because of our submoisture wasn't as wet and the infiltration of the water went down so we're able to dry off a little faster.”

“So we're pretty well on progress. I mean, it's a little bit behind this year, but I think with weather conditions cooler now, we'll have to see what happens this year. I mean, if we get some warm weather and everything cooperates through, we could have a good crop this year. I know the conditions are looking real good as far as the planting and the crops going in the ground, but mother nature is going to determine what's going to happen the rest of the year. So far as a little behind, but we'll get there. I think it's looking pretty good right now unless we get some torrential rains. I think we'll be in fairly good shape and we'll see what happens the rest of the year.”

Mackane Vogel: “And what can you say about covers and no-till and those two factors helping you get through any of this potential weather and rain?”

“Yeah, it's helped out. I know I did talk to a neighbor, a friend of mine, he's put some covers in on some of the land and he had to go out this spring and filling in all his washouts and he had commented back to me. H says, "You know where I put the rye?" He said hardly washed. But he said, "He didn't have any covers." It was kind of a mess out there. So he is seeing the benefits of it.”

“Everybody's kind of skeptical of planting covers and why we use covers and stuff. But that was an interesting comment I got from him that after being out on the land and filling the covers back in and had some covers on that field on the higher ground of it and different land he had that it did make a difference. And I got another farmer that I know well and he said he's 100% covers this next year. He said, "I'm not going to plant anything without covers." He said, "The covers were so important this year and keeping erosion." So I'm glad to hear that. Like I say, our group Dodge County farmers and Field of Cincinnati are out there to educate the farmers and that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to give them the education they need and show the projects we're doing to educate the farmers and say what we have to do in the future to protect our farmland.”

Always good to see cover crops and no-till doing what they do best and making life a little easier for farmers, especially during this busy time of the year.