Strip-Till Farmer Magazine: Lessiter Media Origins, Coverage, Conference and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Strip-Till Farmer magazine is the only publication from Lessiter Media devoted entirely to strip-tillage, the practice of tilling narrow bands for the seed row while leaving the rest of the field undisturbed. It grew from a 2010 e-newsletter into a quarterly print magazine in 2017, free to qualified farmers in the U.S. and Canada, and it anchors the annual National Strip-Tillage Conference.
| Print debut | Fall 2017, mailed in late October 2017 |
|---|---|
| Roots | Strip-Till Strategies e-newsletter, launched 2010 |
| Publisher | Lessiter Media Ag Division, Brookfield, Wisconsin |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Distribution | Free to qualified farm operators in the U.S. and Canada |
| Managing Editor | Noah Newman (since March 2026) |
| Official website | StripTillFarmer.com |
History of Strip-Till Farmer
Lessiter Media's interest in strip-till goes back decades. Cliff Roberts began strip-tilling on his farm at Kentland, Indiana, in 1987, No-Till Farmer soon started covering the practice, and Roberts shared his experiences at the first National No-Tillage Conference in 1993. By 2007 the publisher estimated that 3.6 million U.S. corn acres were strip-tilled.
In 2010 Lessiter launched the Strip-Till Strategies e-newsletter, which grew into a daily electronic update, podcasts, special reports and webinars. The mid-summer National Strip-Tillage Conference followed in 2014 as a farmer-to-farmer learning event. In October 2017 the company mailed the debut Fall 2017 print issue of Strip-Till Farmer, a quarterly edited by managing editor Jack Zemlicka, with articles on cutting nitrogen costs with strip-till and maintaining strip-till rigs. Lessiter Media was founded in 1981 by Frank Lessiter, who serves as chairman and editorial director.
Strip-Till Farmer Today
Strip-Till Farmer continues as a quarterly print magazine with a website, newsletters and events. The National Strip-Tillage Conference has become an annual summer gathering; its ninth edition returned to Iowa.
In March 2026 Lessiter Media promoted Noah Newman, who joined the company in 2022 and had led the title's content and events as technology editor, to managing editor of Strip-Till Farmer and Precision Farming Dealer. He also continues as technology editor for No-Till Farmer and Farm Equipment.
What Strip-Till Farmer Is Publishing Now
Farmer experiences
Profiles of strip-tillers explaining how they built and adapted their systems, a core of each issue since the debut.
Fertility and equipment
Banding nitrogen and phosphorus in the strip, rig setup, maintenance and precision guidance for strip-till machines.
Conference and research
Coverage and sessions from the National Strip-Tillage Conference plus trending practices and research results.
Strip-Till Farmer Editors and Staff
Lessiter Media announcements and the magazine's history name:
- Noah Newman - Managing Editor, Strip-Till Farmer and Precision Farming Dealer
- Frank Lessiter - Founder (1981), Chairman and Editorial Director, Lessiter Media
- Mike Lessiter - President, Lessiter Media
- Jack Zemlicka - Managing editor at the 2017 print debut (former)
Who Reads Strip-Till Farmer
Strip-Till Farmer reaches farm operators across the U.S. and Canada who strip-till or are considering it, many of them corn and soybean growers seeking the soil-protection benefits of no-till with the warmer, drier seedbed of tillage. USDA's farmers.gov explains how NRCS supports reduced-tillage practices, and the Census of Agriculture tracks tillage practices across U.S. cropland.
Strip-tillers are the farmers who could not decide between tillage and no-till, so they split the difference down to the inch. Readers who appreciate that kind of compromise can unwind at farm.FM, with farm satire and farm humor about rigs, RTK lines and fall fertilizer timing, plus ranch humor for the cattle folks next door. Its farm jokes work best told in strips.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
Strip-Till Farmer Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Strip-Till Farmer: The origin story - from Cliff Roberts to the 2017 print launch.
- Strip-Till Farmer magazine debuts - the Fall 2017 first issue.
- Farms.com: Lessiter Media editorial promotions - Noah Newman named managing editor in 2026.
- USDA farmers.gov: No-till and cover crops - NRCS guidance on reduced tillage.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - federal data on tillage practices.
Strip-Till Farmer FAQ
Who publishes Strip-Till Farmer magazine?
Lessiter Media of Brookfield, Wisconsin, publisher of No-Till Farmer.
When did Strip-Till Farmer start?
The print magazine debuted with the Fall 2017 issue; its Strip-Till Strategies e-newsletter began in 2010.
How often is Strip-Till Farmer published?
Quarterly, free to qualified farm operators in the U.S. and Canada.
Who edits Strip-Till Farmer?
Noah Newman became managing editor in March 2026.
From a 2010 newsletter to a quarterly with its own national conference, Strip-Till Farmer magazine has made strip-tillage a field of its own.