by Jason Johnson, Public Affairs Specialist

August 2012

Ray Menke of rural Fort Madison admits the main reason 

he switched to no-till farming in 1987 was his inability to 

afford new expensive farm equipment and machinery. 

Now, 25 years later, Menke is still leaving the soil 

undisturbed and he’s reaping the benefits during this 

year’s extreme drought.

Menke says he doesn’t know exactly how his 600 acres 

of corn and soybeans will yield this year, but if history 

is any indication his no-till system will be helped by 

better soil conditions compared to farmers who perform 

tillage. “In the bad (weather) years our yields always 

seem to be better, particularly on marginal ground,” he 

said. 

Keeping soil undisturbed offers many benefits, including 

aiding in plant growth, reducing soil erosion, saving 

money, and providing wildlife habitat. 

Rick Bednarek, state soil scientist for USDA’s Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Iowa, says 

Menke is benefitting from high organic matter content 

in the soil from years of non-disturbance. “Soil left 

undisturbed for several years becomes more tolerant 

to weather extremes,” he said. “The organic matter in 

undisturbed soil contains more moisture for plant use 

when rainfall totals are lower than normal. Conversely, 

healthy soil has the structure that allows excess water to 

infiltrate into the ground more easily.”

When soil is disturbed through practices like tillage, 

the soil structure and habitat for soil organisms gets 

destroyed, water infiltration is reduced, runoff is 

increased, and productivity declines. “Tillage ruins 

pores in the soil that help it breathe and drain excess 

water,” said Bednarek. “Tillage disrupts the soil’s natural 

biological cycles and wrecks the structure of the soil, 

making it susceptible to erosion.”

Menke thinks his annual crop yields are competitive 

with other farmers in the area. He says the trouble is 

nobody will tell him. “Nobody who tills wants to admit 

to me that they yield 200 bushel corn when I yield the 

same with fewer inputs,” he said. “I think farmers who till 

the soil feel pressure to yield 20 bushel more per acre 

than me. If they aren’t, my net profits are going to be 

higher than theirs.”

By today’s farming standards Menke relies very little on 

inputs. He covers many of his fields with dry manure 

over a four-year period and applies liquid nitrogen 

annually in the spring during planting. He uses 1972 

tractor to plant, and he has a few smaller tractors to pull 

a manure spreader. “You can no-till with an old tractor 

with bald tires running half throttle,” says Menke. “We 

hardly use any fuel. It is benefits like that people don’t 

understand with no-till.”

Showcase CONSERVAT ON

Non-disturbance Practices Help Menke 

Through Drought

Ray Menke of rural Fort Madison stands on the pasture side of his field. 

He purchased a no-till drill in the late 1980s and hasn’t used any tillage 

equipment since.
Showcase CONSERVAT ON

Chemicals Disturb Soil

Soil disturbance is not limited to traditional tillage; some 

nutrient applications and harvesting of crop residue 

can also affect soil functions. When chemicals are added 

to the soil, they can make important soil and plant 

relationships in the soil ineffective. Menke knows this 

well. He worked at an anhydrous plant for many years as 

a mechanic. “I don’t like anhydrous – it’s dangerous and 

hard on the soil,” he said. “I’ve never disturbed the soil 

with anhydrous. I have only applied liquid nitrogen.”

Bednarek encourages farmers to reduce nutrient inputs 

to take advantage of the natural nutrient cycles in the 

soil. “Allow plants to make essential associations with 

the soil organisms,” he said. “This relationship ensures 

plants are able to achieve their full potential.”

Grazing Management

The extra time made available by no-till farming allows 

Menke to graze cattle as well. He was ahead of his time 

20 years ago when he set up a rotational grazing system 

for his feeder cattle. His goal was to make better use 

of his limited forage (75 acres) and grow his herd. His 

multi-paddock system allowed him to double the size of 

his herd, from 60 to 120. 

Menke says he feels that two decades of successful 

pasture management is paying off during the drought. 

His rotational grazing system is also helping to improve 

soil health. When livestock move from paddock to 

paddock, it allows pasture plants to rest and regrow. 

“Neighbors are feeding hay to supplement grass,” he 

said. “I still have three paddocks left and we pulled off 40 

big round bales just the other day.”

Menke recently purchased another farm where he 

will more intensely graze a cow/calf herd in smaller 

paddocks, rotating them more often. “To me, the grass 

just grows much better when they’re not in a paddock 

for days or weeks at a time,” he said. “What little rain 

we’ve received this summer really brings the grass 

around in a hurry.”

Rewarded for Stewardship

In 2010, Menke was rewarded for his longtime 

conservation ethic with a contract through the USDAadministered Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), 

which provides financial and technical assistance to 

help land stewards further conserve and enhance soil, 

water, air, and related natural resources on their land. 

CSP gives credit for past stewardship and encourages 

producers to address resource concerns by undertaking 

additional conservation activities and improving and 

maintaining existing conservation systems. 

Menke will use his CSP contract to enhance his 

operation in two ways: 

1. To utilize electronically-controlled (GPS) technology 

to more precisely apply agricultural pesticides.

2. To help implement his new intensive management 

grazing system.

TJ Mathis, district conservationist for NRCS in Lee 

County, says Menke has done a lot of other conservation 

work on his farms – the majority of it on his own. “I 

have worked with Ray on different projects, including 

terraces, pasture management, and watershed 

structures,” said Mathis. “Ray is an innovator. It is easy 

to see that he has a strong conservation ethic and he is 

always thinking of the next activity to take his farming 

and conservation to the next level.”

For more information about conservation planning and 

programs to help protect the natural resources on your 

land, visit your local NRCS office.

Ray Menke’s pastures have survived the drought well. One reason is his 

20-year commitment to rotationally grazing his feeder cattle for better 

pasture growth.

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