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No-Till on Heavy Ground: What Actually Works at Hunco Farms | Crop Chats

In this episode of Crop Chats, we head to Hunco Farms in Ontario to break down what it really takes to succeed with no-till planting on heavy, sometimes poorly drained ground.

Jason, Kevin, and Phil walk us through their planter setup, the upgrades they’ve made, and what they’ve learned the hard way about planting green, managing residue, and adapting to changing conditions. From hydraulic downforce to trash whippers and electric row shutoffs, this is a real-world look at what works—and what doesn’t—on tough soil.

You’ll hear:
✔ Why they chose a Kinze 3605 with specific add-ons
✔ The impact of planting green into cereal rye
✔ What planter features they’d skip if they could do it again
✔ Lessons from early no-till fears—and what changed their minds
✔ How section control and monitoring tech are shifting their approach
🔧 Gear Featured: Kinze 3605, N540 Air Seeder, Yetter, Exapta Mojo Wires, L'arie openers

🌱 Topics: no-till corn, soybean planting, planter upgrades, heavy ground strategies, trash management, field calibration, GPS use

📍 Filmed in Ontario, Canada
🎙️ Presented by the Ontario Soil Network
👨‍🌾 Real farmers. Real fields. No marketing fluff.

Crop Chats is a collaborative video and podcast series between the Ontario Soil Network and Ian McDonald (OMAFA). Watch the full video on YouTube or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

🌱 Watch the full series on YouTube: youtube.com/@SoilNetwork
🌾 Discover more from OMAFA: youtube.com/@ONfieldcrops/videos

Thanks for tuning in to the Soil Network Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow farmer or agri-curious friend. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about farming smarter, growing better, and building stronger communities.

🌾 Stay Connected:
📢 Explore more stories, events, and resources through our Linktree:
👉 linktr.ee/ontariosoilnetwork

Let’s keep growing—together. See you next time!

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What happens when you mix three generations of farmers, waterfront clay soils, a serious focus on soil health, and a no-nonsense approach to no-till? You get the Kaiser family farm.

In this first half of our two-part deep dive, we sit down with Eric, Max, and Rob Kaiser at their farm near Napanee, Ontario—right on the shores of Hay Bay. From their early days of acquiring fragmented land to now running a full no-till and livestock-integrated operation, the Kaisers walk us through how their system evolved, why they ditched tillage without looking back, and how they manage everything from manure to multi-species cover crops.

You'll hear stories about:

• How they reclaimed and restructured fragmented farmland
• Why manure management is more than just nutrients—it's about timing, tools, and community
• The trade-offs and evolution from strawberries to sweet corn
• What it really takes to maintain soil structure on challenging terrain

👨‍🌾 “We didn’t try no-till. We just did it.”

🔄 This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation. Part 2 drops next week—don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss it!

🎧 Listen, learn, and walk away with practical insights for any scale of operation.

Crop Chats is a collaborative video and podcast series between the Ontario Soil Network and Ian McDonald (OMAFA). Watch the full video on YouTube or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

🌱 Watch the full series on YouTube: youtube.com/@SoilNetwork
🌾 Discover more from OMAFA: youtube.com/@ONfieldcrops/videos

Thanks for tuning in to the Soil Network Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow farmer or agri-curious friend. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about farming smarter, growing better, and building stronger communities.

🌾 Stay Connected:
📢 Explore more stories, events, and resources through our Linktree:
👉 linktr.ee/ontariosoilnetwork

Let’s keep growing—together. See you next time!

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In this episode of Winning with No-Till, we visit Bill and Wes Honey on their multi-generational farm in Norham, Ontario. Nestled in the rolling hills near Warkworth, their operation tackles the challenges of steep slopes, irregular field shapes, and a mix of sandy loam and clay — all while staying committed to a no-till system.

From Bill’s early involvement in Ontario’s conservation farming movement to Wes’s experience growing up without ever using a plow, the Honeys share how no-till became second nature — not just for soil health, but for work-life balance and long-term sustainability.

We dig into how cover crops, shared equipment, Phoenix harrows, and smart residue management help them protect their fields, reduce erosion, and farm with fewer passes. It’s a story of thoughtful adaptation, neighborly innovation, and holding firm to what works.

📍 Location: Norham, Ontario
🧑‍🌾 Guests: Bill & Wes Honey

#NoTill #OntarioFarming #SoilHealth #FamilyFarms #CoverCrops #FarmLife

Crop Chats is a collaborative video and podcast series between the Ontario Soil Network and Ian McDonald (OMAFA). Watch the full video on YouTube or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

🌱 Watch the full series on YouTube: youtube.com/@SoilNetwork
🌾 Discover more from OMAFA: youtube.com/@ONfieldcrops/videos

Thanks for tuning in to the Soil Network Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow farmer or agri-curious friend. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about farming smarter, growing better, and building stronger communities.

🌾 Stay Connected:
📢 Explore more stories, events, and resources through our Linktree:
👉 linktr.ee/ontariosoilnetwork

Let’s keep growing—together. See you next time!

Send us Fan Mail

What does it really take to scale a no-till system without piling on equipment costs? In this episode of Crop Chats, we’re in Cobourg, Ontario with seventh-generation farmer Mark Burnham of Burnham Farms. Mark shares how his farm transitioned into full no-till over two decades—without the need for flashy new iron or big tillage passes.

Mark and his father have built a system that works across steep hills, sandy loam, and large field blocks. From optimizing cover crop timing to managing compaction through strategic patience (and the occasional well-tuned chisel plow), Mark walks us through how his no-till system thrives in real-world conditions.

We discuss:

• Why cover crops now pay for themselves through soil savings
• How planting green fits into his corn and azuki bean rotation
• Why patience and timing are more critical than horsepower
• The key equipment pieces that actually matter for no-till
• His honest take on when and why he still uses tillage—and how little it takes

🎧 New episodes dropping weekly throughout the planting season.

Crop Chats is a collaborative video and podcast series between the Ontario Soil Network and Ian McDonald (OMAFA). Watch the full video on YouTube or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

🌱 Watch the full series on YouTube: youtube.com/@SoilNetwork
🌾 Discover more from OMAFA: youtube.com/@ONfieldcrops/videos

Thanks for tuning in to the Soil Network Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow farmer or agri-curious friend. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about farming smarter, growing better, and building stronger communities.

🌾 Stay Connected:
📢 Explore more stories, events, and resources through our Linktree:
👉 linktr.ee/ontariosoilnetwork

Let’s keep growing—together. See you next time!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Crop Chats, we visit Nick Stokman’s farm near Strathroy, Ontario, where he’s been fine-tuning his no-till system on heavy clay soils for over 30 years. With a practical mindset and deep curiosity, Nick shares lessons learned across decades of experimentation—from managing residue and customizing drills for bio strip-till to making cover crops work in narrow windows.

This conversation explores the real tradeoffs of no-till on challenging soils, how to prioritize long-term soil biology, and the role of patience, drainage, and observation in building a resilient system. If you’re considering a shift to reduced tillage—or want to learn from someone who’s been in the trenches for decades—this episode offers grounded, candid insight from one of Ontario’s long-time soil stewards.

Topics covered:

• No-till on heavy clay: managing moisture, compaction, and emergence
• The evolution of Nick’s cover crop system
• Custom equipment hacks for bio strip-till
• Learning from failure and trusting slow progress
• What he’d never go back to—and why
• Advice for new no-tillers

🎧 New episodes dropping weekly throughout the planting season.

Crop Chats is a collaborative video and podcast series between the Ontario Soil Network and Ian McDonald (OMAFA). Watch the full video on YouTube or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

🌱 Watch the full series on YouTube: youtube.com/@SoilNetwork
🌾 Discover more from OMAFA: youtube.com/@ONfieldcrops/videos

Thanks for tuning in to the Soil Network Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow farmer or agri-curious friend. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about farming smarter, growing better, and building stronger communities.

🌾 Stay Connected:
📢 Explore more stories, events, and resources through our Linktree:
👉 linktr.ee/ontariosoilnetwork

Let’s keep growing—together. See you next time!

Send us Fan Mail

In this Crop Chats episode, Ian McDonald (Crop Innovation Specialist, OMAFRA) visits Swain Beef near Blackstock, Ontario, for a candid conversation with Scott Swain about making no-till systems work on a mixed farm with livestock, manure, and highly variable soils.

Scott doesn’t claim to have it all figured out—but what he offers is an honest look at what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how their team is constantly adapting. From using RTK for precision, to selectively incorporating tillage, to dealing with the challenges of manure management in no-till systems, this episode is packed with real-world insights for farmers trying to strike the right balance.

🔑 Topics Covered:
• The realities of no-till with livestock
• Managing manure and soil compaction
• Equipment decisions: when to hire and when to invest
• Cover crops: lessons from 20+ years
• Tillage as a tool—not a rule
• Patience, planning, and knowing your window

🔗 More from the Series:
Watch the full Winning with No-Till playlist:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@ONfieldcrops/featured?utm_source=osn&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=winning_with_no_till

🌱 Learn more about the Ontario Soil Network:
👉 https://ontariosoil.net/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=crop_chats_series

Thanks for tuning in to the Soil Network Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow farmer or agri-curious friend. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about farming smarter, growing better, and building stronger communities.

🌾 Stay Connected:
📢 Explore more stories, events, and resources through our Linktree:
👉 linktr.ee/ontariosoilnetwork

Let’s keep growing—together. See you next time!

Send us Fan Mail

Join host Ian McDonald, Crop Innovation Specialist with OMAFRA, as he kicks off the Crop Chats: Seeding Equipment Series by visiting Hunco Farms in Ontario. In this episode, we sit down with Kevin, Jason, and Phil to talk through their planter and drill setup, how they approach no-till planting, and what they’ve learned through years of refining their system.

From hydraulic downforce and electric drive to residue management and planting green—this episode is packed with practical insights for any grower making equipment decisions.

🧑‍🌾 Guests: Kevin, Jason, and Phil from Hunco Farms
📍 Location: Ontario, Canada

🛠️ Topics Covered:

• Upgrading for no-till
• Kinze planter features
• Matching equipment across systems
• Fertilizer strategies
• Section control and electric drive
• Lessons from planting green

🌱 Crop Chats is a podcast miniseries hosted on The Soil Network Podcast, where we dig into actionable tools and ideas to support innovation in Ontario agriculture.

🎥 Check out past video content from the Winning with No-Till Series here:
👉 ONFieldCrops YouTube

🌐 Learn more about our work and discover resources at:
👉 OntarioSoil.net

Thanks for tuning in to the Soil Network Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow farmer or agri-curious friend. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about farming smarter, growing better, and building stronger communities.

🌾 Stay Connected:
📢 Explore more stories, events, and resources through our Linktree:
👉 linktr.ee/ontariosoilnetwork

Let’s keep growing—together. See you next time!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of the Soil Network Podcast (formerly Combines & Coffee), host Ian Virtue visits Brant County, Ontario, to chat with local farmers who work similar land, but manage it in very different ways. From organic and conventional operations to beef and dairy farms, each farmer brings their own unique approach—but what ties them together is a shared passion for learning from each other.

Steve Sickle, Gordon Alblas, Doug Donkers, and Lammert Koonstra share their experiences with no-till planting, cover crops, and balancing livestock while staying adaptable through changing seasons. They open up about what’s working, what’s not, and how peer-to-peer conversations keep them improving year after year.

Whether you farm organically, conventionally, or somewhere in between, this episode highlights how diverse approaches can strengthen a farming community when knowledge is shared.

So grab a coffee—or hop in the cab of your tractor—and join us for a candid conversation about farming systems that may be different but share the same foundation: healthy soil and a commitment to growth.

🎙️ Recorded in Brant County, ON | 🌱 Powered by the Ontario Soil Network

Thanks for tuning in to the Soil Network Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow farmer or agri-curious friend. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about farming smarter, growing better, and building stronger communities.

🌾 Stay Connected:
📢 Explore more stories, events, and resources through our Linktree:
👉 linktr.ee/ontariosoilnetwork

Let’s keep growing—together. See you next time!