Articles by Martha Mintz

Fertility An Investment, Not A Cost

Wisconsin no-tiller Bill Hurtgen is using tips gained at ‘night school’ to balance and build his soils and protect yields.

By Martha Mintz posted on May 1, 2011 | Posted in Crop Protection, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

No-till fertility management and herbicide rotation have saved Downing, Wis., multi-tasker Bill Hurtgen time and money. All are nuggets the relatively new farmer picked up attending a night class at his local technical college.

Digging For Details Yields Variable-Rate Success

Proper soil-sampling techniques and a calibrated yield monitor can help no-tillers get much more out of their fertility program.

By Martha Mintz posted on May 1, 2011 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture

Junk in, junk out. Variable-rate fertilizer and nutrient recommendations are only as good as the data used to calculate them.

10 Sprayer Features No-Tillers Swear By

Growers share customizations and technology add-ons, ranging from convenient to essential, that boost efficiency and profitability.

By Martha Mintz posted on May 1, 2011 | Posted in Equipment, Precision Agriculture

After the planter, the sprayer may be the most important piece of equipment to no-tillers, so it makes sense to want them functioning perfectly.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

‘Crazy Jim’ Found His Way To No-Till

A pioneer with strip intercropping and double-cropping soybeans, Jim House is a champion of the financial and ecological benefits of no-till.

By Jim House and Martha Mintz posted on May 1, 2011 | Posted in Cover Crops, Equipment

With only 300 acres to work with, I have to do everything possible to drive production and justify farming a relatively small piece of ground.

Soil Test Leads To Cover Crop Dabbling

A Missouri no-tiller’s quest to ward off a developing compaction layer could help many other growers take advantage of cover-crop benefits.

By Martha Mintz posted on April 1, 2011 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

Some dig deep to identify the yield robbers on their farms. Jules Willott only had to dig 3 inches.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

One Size Doesn't Fit All Farms - Or Even One

Whether it's fertility, rotation, tilliage or inputs, each acre on Donn Branton's farm gets what is needed in any given year.

By Donn Branton and Martha Mintz posted on April 1, 2011 | Posted in Strip-Till Farming

I'm trying to figure out the best practices to manage each of our acres in an economical way. I’m not just going to stick with one practice across the whole farm to say I’m doing it. It has to show returns.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Till Brings Challenges Surprises and New Options

Fewer field passes means this California no-tiller and dairyman can raise three forage crops per year.

By Michael Crowell and Martha Mintz posted on March 1, 2011 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Seeding & Planting

I tried no-till because of the potential savings I saw, but it’s brought us so much more. Making the switch to no-till has allowed us to raise three high-quality forage crops per year on the 270 acres we intensively farm in the San Joaquin Valley.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Tilled To Save Time, But Quickly Saw Soil Benefits

Western North Dakota farmer integrates cattle, dryland corn and multiple cover-crop species to build a productive no-till system.

By Lance Gartner and Martha Mintz posted on February 1, 2011 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

The main reason I went into no-till was — as it is for many other no-tillers — due to labor issues. My Dad had a heart attack in 2000 and wasn’t able to help as much anymore. I was just killing myself trying to keep up with farming and the cattle and everything else.

No-Tillers Finding New Ways To ‘Cover Up’

High-clearance seeding machines, injection with slurry highlight strategies popping up for cover-crop establishment.

By Martha Mintz posted on February 1, 2011 | Posted in Cover Crops, Equipment

Cover crops are going mainstream in production agriculture, which means more people are working to make them succeed.

25 Tips To Get Drills, Planters In Tip-Top Working Order

No-tillers, equipment experts share their annual drill and planter maintenance checklists that are must-dos for successful stands.

By Martha Mintz posted on February 1, 2011 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Equipment

There may be nothing worse for no-tillers than heading to the fields in the spring and being sidelined by a maintenance issue with their planter — especially if the window of opportunity to plant is tight and the breakdown could have been avoided.

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Last-Minute Planter Prep for No-Tillers & Strip-Tillers

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, precision specialist Chad Baker, co-owner of Baker Precision Planter Works in Orangeville, Ill., helps a first-generation no-tiller with planter setup, and later encounters a couple problems with a strip-tiller’s new 24-row planter. Plus, veteran agronomist Brad Forkner checks in with a couple tips for farmers to keep in mind before they take the field.

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Articles by Martha Mintz

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