Select seed carefully. “Backing down on seed [and subsequent cost] is not the place I would cut,” he says. Lill works with his seed dealer to select hybrids and varieties with high yield potential. For corn, standability is a feature he also prizes. “We get pretty late in the year with harvest sometimes, so I want to make sure everything stays standing,” he says.

Manage disease.  Disease-resistant and disease-tolerant hybrids and varieties are a line of defense against disease. Lill also uses fungicides on both crops to deter disease. He has applied them via air, ground and with drones. Drone fungicide application on his corn has worked well, as he’s able to better apply fungicides around field edges, he says. A drawback, however, is rising insurance costs and paperwork involved with drone operation.

Control weeds. Like most Iowa farmers, waterhemp is Lill’s main weed challenge. He also matches weed control traits to seed after a preemergence residual treatment. On soybeans, he applied Liberty mixed with Dual Magnum postemergence last year to obtain residual activity. “That worked pretty well,” he says.

Maintain manure. Lill grid samples in 2.5-acre grids. He supplements commercial fertilizer with cattle and hog manure that he injects in the fall. “I think there are a lot more micronutrients in manure that you don’t get in commercial fertilizer,” he says.

Manage machinery costs. Lill has cut machinery costs for tillage, as he no-tills his soybeans. He has purchased a new planter to ensure optimum crop stands. Most of the time, however, he buys used equipment. “I’m pretty mechanically inclined, so I can repair most of the machinery myself,” he says. One investment that aids his repair strategy is a new shop he built in 2020. “It’s worth every penny,” he says. “When you think about what is charged for repairs in town, I can make this building pay for itself pretty fast.”

Continue lender communication. “Communicating with your lender is huge,” he says. “Even if I don’t need the money, I’ll get together with my banker to bounce ideas off him or give him updates.” This helps not only with agronomic decisions, but with crop insurance and marketing strategies as well, he says.