Participation in this contest has varied over the years with an average of forty-four farmers participating annually for awards and prizes based on corn yields. However, the adoption of no-till production practices is often associated with an increased use of chemical inputs and therefore a practice many feel contributes to environmental degradation.
Public sentiment continues to strongly favor farmers using less pesticides.
Insecticide applications by contest participants during this fifteen year period have exhibited a continuous, significant reduction. In 1979, all fields in the contest received an insecticide application regardless of previous crop, insect population, etc. All contest fields received herbicide applications until 1991 at which time a change in the rules allowed contest participants to utilize other conservation tillage practices such as chisel plowing or disking. Results reveal that although fertilizer rates decreased in Ohio, the decline in rates by the contest participants have been much more rapid. Trend analysis indicates no significant reductions in nitrogen or potassium rates and only a slight decrease in the phosphorus rate statewide.