let's start by looking at his savings. 
No tillage no chiseling, plowing, disking, field cultivating, or soil finishing. Saves around $60 per acre equal about 15 bushels of $4 corn.
Non-GMO seed saves another $60 an acre or 15 more bushels of $4 corn.
Cut out N,P, and K save close to $200 an acre. that's 50 bushels of $4 corn.
Yes, if his yields are off 80 bushels per acre it would seem to be really bad. However, he would be no better off going back to full tillage seed treatments and fertilizer applications. The problem is the $4 corn. Him and a whole lot of other farmers are having cash flow problems at $4 corn.