Swapping Fallow for Covers Boosts No-Till, Dryland Margins

John Heermann is using cover-crop mixes and a diverse, flexible crop rotation to eliminate summerfallow and improve the bottom line.


NEW FOCUS. Haxtun, Colo., no-tiller John Heermann has re-tooled his 1,600-acre farm with continuous no-till practices and cover-crop mixes seeded after cash crops on 100% of his acres.


A few years ago, John Heermann sat down to do his annual budgeting ahead of the next cropping season and sensed a problem was brewing.

Drought was gripping the High Plains, herbicide and fertilizer costs were escalating and his fallowed fields contributed no income. While his farm…

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John dobberstein2

John Dobberstein

John Dobberstein is the Senior Editor of No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer, and Cover Crop Strategies. He previously covered agriculture for the Tulsa World and worked for daily newspapers in Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Joseph, Mich. This is John's second stint with Lessiter Media, the previous lasting almost 13 years.

Contact: jdobberstein@lessitermedia.com
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The National No-Tillage Conference returns January 7-10, 2025! Build and refine your no-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 33rd Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville, Ky. Jan. 7-10, 2025. Experience an energizing 4-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led No-Till Classrooms and collaborative No-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.

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