No-Till Farmer

Removal of cobs and stalks for ethanol production

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:08:48 -0500

Just found this story and I'm not sure I agree about loss of nutrient value;

POET, farmers prepare for first commercial biomass harvest

The first commercial harvest of biomass for Project Liberty, POET's cellulosic ethanol initiative, will take place this fall in northwest Iowa. The biomass will consist of corn cobs and light stover being collected by 85 farmers in the area around Emmetsburg, Iowa. POET will use the biomass to produce cellulosic ethanol at its Emmetsburg plant, starting in early 2012. Project Liberty director Jim Sturdevant says after experimenting with several different cob-collection methods, the farmers have settled on corn cob bales rather than loose cobs as the primary feedstock. �The combine just dumps a windrow behind it as it harvests the grain, and later a tractor pulling a baler will come along and collect that windrow,� says Sturdevant.� �That seems to be an approach that the majority of the farmers have chosen for this fall.� POET has been working with Iowa State University to determine if there are any issues related to soil nutrient and erosion control when harvesting biomass.� Sturdevant says the research data shows that collecting biomass bales will not negatively impact good land. �Farmers can be very confident in removing 25 percent of the above-ground stover from their fields without harming, or without impacting, the soil,� he says. Sturdevant says farmers will be removing about 1 ton of biomass per acre this fall. They will receive 40 dollars per bone dry ton for their corn cobs. Construction of a new biomass storage facility is now underway at the Emmetsburg site. It will house 23,000 tons of biomass bales. POET expects to receive 56-thousand tons of baled corn cobs and light stover this fall.

Reply to Rolling, Flattening And Chopping Corn Stalks

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:08:42 -0500

I used a Besler rolling stalk chopper for the first time this year. As we didn't get our corn�all out until Dec. 15th we used it this spring. It did flatten and chopped the stalks some with a small amount of dirt ending up on the residue. I will try using it this fall on some of the stalks and evaluate from there.

Reply to Rolling, Flattening And Chopping Corn Stalks

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:50:13 -0500

I have found it is easier on tires, equipment and� planting corn or drilling beans to deal with the standing stalks. � My prefered method is to knock them down with a drag.� I went out and purchsed an old hydraulic chain drag this year and it worked great.� It can be done with little power and a great deal of speed. � I did notice an increase in volunteer round-up ready corn in my beans this year but not enough to be a problem. � Norm Deets

Reply to Will you accept lower corn yields with no-till?

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:24:20 -0500

Sorry so late in the year, but our no-till yields for the past 10 years have improved from what our min-till yields were. To be sure some has been genetics,� but on our drought type palmyra gravel soils it has been the best way to plant and conserve moisture. In 2009 we had yields in the 180-190 area. Finger Lakes of NYS

Rolling, Flattening And Chopping Corn Stalks

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:49:15 -0500

Do you think that rolling, flattening and chopping of corn stalks, particularly in continuous no-till corn, is beneficial? If you've used this practice, what have you seen to be the pluses and minuses of rolling, flattening or chopping?

Reply to Sugar beet strip till

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:55:47 -0500

Hello Andrew, I'm french farmer from Normandy. In France, some growers are trying to plant sugar beets with strip till. We don't have a lot of experience but you can contact Duro France : contact@duro-france.com. They make a strip till ridge and have followed some farmers who did sugar beets in strip till. You can see pictures at : http://www.duro-france.com/materiel_agricole.php?id=16

Crop sharing

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:25:33 -0500

I farm with a crop share agreement for a family member, where i pay everything in full, except for the fertilizer bill, where I pay 2/3 and he pays a 1/3. Is there anybody that crop shares, that also splits the seed and chemical bill? Or is splitting the fert. bill only, the norm for crop share arrangements?

no till soybeans into cornstalks

Mon, 31 May 2010 20:39:25 -0500

clay soils -�I think I have all my beans in the moisture about 1-1.5 inches deep.� then the clay soils dry out and the seed is struggling. I have a 12-23 1780 jd planter wilth 13 wave coulters and seed firmers - pneumatic down pressure at 250 lbs

Reply to Sugar beet strip till

Wed, 05 May 2010 14:10:21 -0500

Dear Grant and Bogdan, thank you very much for your input and I will follow up with your suggestions and see where I get to. I would say that 235 HP for a 12 row tiller isn't too bad, 20 HP per unit is about where I thought we would have to be. We use an 8530 on Soucy tracks so 12 row would be no problem, we might be stretching it a bit to go to 18! Many thanks, Andrew Scoley

Reply to Will you accept lower corn yields with no-till?

Tue, 04 May 2010 19:59:07 -0500

I am after the bottom line but want good yields.� We averaged 209 dry with notill last year, our best ever.

Reply to Sugar beet strip till

Tue, 04 May 2010 06:47:12 -0500

Hallo Andrew. My name is Bogdan Garalejic from Serbia. My collegue and I have strip till machine CASE DMI 5310 until 2006. We never works on sugar beet, �but we will try to do that. Try to find in German magazine Zuckerrube text with machine and planter from Koekerling and Becker which work on strip till. Striping and planting in the same time. I suggest you to speak with Mike Petersen from Orthman Manufecturing from USA who have experience with strip till and who is guru for this system. Maybe Orthman have his First riper, model, �with narrow rows. I wish you all the best, Bogdan Garalejic, Ag Extension Service Province of Vojvodina, Serbia.

Reply to Will you accept lower corn yields with no-till?

Sat, 01 May 2010 14:03:20 -0500

Darrell,� I think that yields will be very close, but I think that strip-till definately increases yields. I do not think tho, that it is the tillage, but the placement of the fertilizer that doese it. I get best results when I can get the NPK banded deeper into the soil where roots can get to it when it is drier later on in summer.� I think tho that w/ deep placement of NPK there does need to be some N & P Banded rather close to the seed for a faster early start.�� Grant Corley

Reply to Sugar beet strip till

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:50:31 -0500

Reply to Andrew,� I know nothing about sugar beet production, but I built a 12 row 20" striptill machine that works very well.� We knife in NH3 + dry 18-46-0 using a tow-between�aircart. The strip-till machine tows after the aircart w/ the NH3 tank behind that.� We use it for 20" corn & plan to to use it on some soybean acres to see how well it works.� We have used it on corn for 2 yrs.� w/ good results.� We do not quite till up an 8" wide strip, probably closer to 6", but we are� certainly getting our highest yields of corn w/ strip-till.� Power requirements in our soils are high.� We have a Front-Wheel assist tractor w/ 235 HP & it is loaded @ 5 - 5.5 MPH pulling the 12 row unit.� THat seems to be about the normal requirements to do the job in this area.� Grant Corley

Sugar beet strip till

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:59:05 -0500

I am a UK farmer who together with my neighbour and contractor will be using controlled traffic farming from this harvest. Whilst not a great fit to the system we would like to carry on growing sugar beet and I think a strip till system would work best for this. There are virtually no strip tillage machines here in the UK and I can see we will have to consider importing one from the USA. Do any of your readers have experience of strip tillage with sugar beet? I think we need a machine that tills an 8'' band, with the band centres 20'' apart as we grow beet on 20'' rows. This is somewhat narrower than corn bands which I understand are usually set at 30'', so is it possible to make a machine with rows this narrow? I want to find a 12 or 18 row machine, and would like to know what sort of power requirement we would need. We would like to band the fertilzer at the same time too.

Will you accept lower corn yields with no-till?

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:30:22 -0500

The No-Till Practices survey that No-Till Farmer conducted showed that the corn growers whose yields were among the top one-third conducted more tillage than the average reader. However, they saw their net income decline 4% vs. 1% for the overall average. That suggests that while tillage helped improve their yields, it didn't improve the bottom line. What do you think of this? What have you experienced?

Reply to solid manure

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:06:40 -0500

get a knight or meyer spreader. both are very nice and eaven spread patern. �

solid manure

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:44:38 -0600

What is the best or most efficient (to utilize fertility) method of applying cattle manure solids to no-till crop land. I pile it up and let it decompose for 3-4 years before hauling to the field (gets rid of hay and straw) usually in the fall, but still have large chunks after a light disking in the spring.

solid manure

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:44:37 -0600

Yetter ultra narrow titan row cleaners

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:37:10 -0600

I have recently purchased a case ih 955 12\23 planter and I need to put row cleaners on every row for planting beans after corn.� I am concerned about blockage from the amount of residue that will be moved in the close quarters of the row units.� I have found a special unit by yetter that is made for 15" rows and would like any input from someone who may have used these row cleaners.� Speed will definetly have a huge impact on how well any row cleaner will work and the units are so close to each other on this particular planter that I'm concerned that I will have to run very slow for the row cleaners to work properly.� Thanks in advance for any insight.�� Greg

Reply to No-Till Oats

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:32:01 -0600

Works very well for us in New York . Mostky forage oats

Reply to reseed same fields

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:37:19 -0600

Hi Rodney, On our farm we have been no-tilling pastures and hay ground for three years now. It can be done sucessfully where you live because we farm similar ground. The easiest way is to rotate to corn for one year. We have also no-tilled BMR sudangrass to help get rid of sod. Last year we sprayed a pasture with roundup. Did it again on month later. then we sprayed one quart roundup this spring thenspread on 5000 gallons manur per acre than no tilled one week later on May 10 . Excellant stand. Go on you -tube and search for" Angelrose Dairy"... They are my videos. ..Good day . John Kemmeren

Reply to no-till row markers

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:58:09 -0600

� I HAVE A 7000 PLANTER, IT IS HARD TO SEE THE MARK NOTILLING BEANS INTO CORN STALKS, i put on martin weights, that didnot help much, then I bought deere notched blades, that did not help, then I added weights to them , that did not help much.�� Also Ihave one martin spiked closing and there drag chains,sometimes they get get caught in the spiked wheel.� With my yetter trash whippers, Ihave to put my dry fertilizer openers to far away from the row, otherwise they hit the whippers. I need some advice. thank you� jd4020

Reply to reseed same fields

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:42:52 -0600

I FARM IN THE SOUTHERN TIER OF WESTERN NY ALFALFA DOES NOT GROW GOOD UNLESS WE ARE ON GOOD GRAVEL� GROUND IN THE VALLEY WE ARE MOSTLY HILLS ON ARE FARM AND SOME WHAT WET GROUND� RED CLOVER REEDS CANARY TIMOTHY TREFOIL IS ARE MAIN CROPS� WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT RESEEDING ON GROUND� WITH WHAT IM DELING WITH

Reply to reseed same fields

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:58:15 -0600

Alfalfa is one of the easiest crops to no-till for us. We havn't worked ground for it in over 20 years here in sewi. Reseeding alfalfa into an old stand has never ever worked for us. We always plant another crop in between because it takes a year to alleve the alleopathic effect of the old alfalfa. We plant at 1 inch depth where most all of the residue has been removed. It is not too deep because the ground will not crust with no-till. We use 15 lbs of seed with a JD no-till drill set in the second notch and have never had a failure. good luck

Reply to reseed same fields

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:55:19 -0600

I was wondering that now with all the ECB and RW technology available in corn seed whether it still pays to chop�corn stubble in the fall before going in with beans the next sprin. GET in PAm7xgy8

Reply to reseed same fields

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:02:25 -0600

If i were you I would not reseed the same feild with alfala.� grasses would work. It does not matter no-till or coventional

Reply to reseed same fields

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:57:32 -0600

i have been told triying to reseed on old hay ground with no till wont work

Reply to reseed same fields

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:54:30 -0600

sorry i ment with out plowing to reseed

reseed same fields

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:51:11 -0600

i only use balege on my farm i need to find abetter way to reseedmy fields with out tilling g

Reply to Corn Stalk Tillage

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:04:52 -0600

Larry,

The Salford RTS is similar to the Turbo Till in that they are both considered vertical tillage tools, that is�working the soil from a vertical profile rather than a horizontal profile which conventional tillage tools do.� I would be more than willing to share my learning experiences with you.� My phone number is 231-937-4640.� Call my anytime from 8 a.m. 8 p.m.

Rick Toth

Reply to Corn Stalk Tillage

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:50:04 -0600

Richard, Not sure what the Salford is. Local dealer has suggested a Turbo Till are they simular? Also not sure how to find your email or phone#. Thank you for the reply and also thanks to Greg for his.

Reply to Corn Stalk Tillage

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:23:54 -0600

Larry First let me start out by saying what works for one individual on one side of the fencerow may not work for the other individual on the other side of the fencerow.� That being said, I had a Phillips Rotary Harrow, a fine tool.� The Phillips had its drawbacks in my operation, however.� For the 2009 season I purchased a Salford RTS.� I worked the top 1-2 inches of the soil profile...very pleased.� I have no problem getting into further details either through this medium, e-mail or phone if you're interested. Rick Toth

Reply to no-till row markers

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:24:00 -0600

Anybody out there having luck using lightbar gps for planting (Outback S2), using waas, not RTK?� How do you set swath width to take guess rows in consideration?

Reply to Corn Stalk Tillage

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:12:38 -0600

I prefer to leave corn stalks standing and intact prior to�no-tilling soybeans. However the standing stalks are generally not the problem, it's the stalks and other corn residues that are on the ground that can become an issue.�Too much residue on the ground will slow soil warming and delay�drying.�When those situations occur we have a Phillips rotary harrow that is run 2 - 3 days before planting soybeans. The rotary harrow only disturbs the top inch of soil or less and fluffs the residue allowing the soil to warm and dry evenly. � However, �

Reply to Breaking Down Corn Stalks

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:12:59 -0600

Yes, I applied 100 lbs of AMS to help break mine down.� I have used 28 and high fructose corn syrup with good results.� 25 lbs N seems to do the job for me.

Reply to No-Till Oats

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:34:00 -0600

I get feed oats from the mill and order some certified and plant away!� Very good cover crop!� I have never raised notill oats for grain.� That last time dad and I tried it it made 125 beautiful bushels per acre many years ago!

Breaking Down Corn Stalks

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:12:56 -0600

Do you apply nitrogen or any type of biological products to corn stalks after harvest to help them break down by planting time? Any opinions as to what works best?

Reply to The Passing Of Norman Borlaug

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:15:06 -0600

I met Norman and we had a good serious chat.� I think I paid more attention to cereal grains in my rotation thanks to him.� He helped millions of people and led a good life.

Corn Stalk Tillage

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:35:37 -0600

If we are going to do some kind of tillage to corn stalks before soybeans what tool should we use that will have the least impact to the benefits gained by 15 years of notill

The Passing Of Norman Borlaug

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:14:20 -0500

How do you feel the work of Norman Borlaug has impacted your farming practices today? Are there some practices you utilize in your operation today that reflect Borlaug's principles?

Reply to No-Till Oats

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:33:41 -0500

We no-till oats in Oregon! What kind of information do you need?

Reply to What Do You Think About Cap-And-Trade?

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:26:36 -0500

I approve of it in general. I wish industry, farmers, and individual consumers would all do the 'right' thing and this sort of legislation wouldn't be necessary. But we've seen time and again the free market focuses on short term gains, regardless of the long term consequences. I wish too it was part of a cohesive long term energy plan rather than a knee jerk reaction to the squawk of the climate change sky is falling crowd.

No-Till Field Days

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:51:39 -0500

Does anyone know of a good no-till field day that would be worth going to for someone new to no-till.

Reply to What Do You Think About Cap-And-Trade?

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:29:35 -0500

I have a lot of concerns of which one is increased fertilizer costs. Listing to our AG secretary saying this will be somewhat off set for no-till and keeping carbon in the soil. He stated that our farmers will be paid for doing the right thing. I do not think our government should be paying farmers or anyone for the doing the right thing.

What Do You Think About Cap-And-Trade?

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:48:11 -0500

From what you've heard about cap-and-trade recently passed by the House and headed to the Senate, what do you think is good? What do you think is bad? Do you think it will be good for the overall economy? Do you think it will be good for the farm economy? We'd appreciate a healthy debate and we'd like to include comments in a future No-Till Farmer exclusive online article. Please leave your name and hometown. Darrell Bruggink Managing Editor No-Till Farmer

Warren Buffett's son a no-tiller

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:25:12 -0500

There was an interesting article in the Wall St Journal dtd 6-29-9 about Howard Buffett who is the son of Warren Buffett, know as the Sage of Omaha. Howard Buffett farms 800 acres in Illinois but also help small farmers in Africa. The article tells about how he teachers farmers to use no-till to improve their crop productivity. They only farm a few acres and use a back pack sprayer to kill weeds, presumably glysophate.

Reply to What's The Value Of No-Till Residue That's Burned

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:37:11 -0500

This is true but what is the true loss? No one really knows but it would be a huge loss to me! Ed Winkle

Reply to What's The Value Of No-Till Residue That's Burned

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:14:52 -0500

That will be proven in courtrooms and the verdict will vary across the country. I quit baling straw when fertilizer got so expensive I can't afford to haul it off my fields for less money that is worth to me. I figure mine is easily worth $100 an acre but a court settlement could be ten times that amount. The main thing here is neighbors agreeing on the amount of damage without going to court. That is the last place I ever want to be. Ed

What's The Value Of No-Till Residue That's Burned

Sun, 31 May 2009 21:43:13 -0500

A Wisconsin no-tiller called in late May with a question as to determining the value of no-till residue. He had 50 acres of corn residue catch fire from a neighbor's yard and the residue is completely gone and the soil is black. The beans that were no-tilled earlier are apparently okay since they weren't yet up out of the ground. He wants to know what dollar value to place on the residue for insurance purposes. And any suggestions growers might have for dealing with insurance adjusters. We sent him our most frequently requested No-Till Farmer article called, "Fires Scorch No-Till Profits," (pg. 10, August 1996) but we're wondering what others have seen as a value for burned-off no-till residue. Frank Lessiter

Reply to Tire spacing on tractor

Thu, 28 May 2009 03:32:48 -0500

I wanted to apply some urea to topdress corn and found I didn't have a tractor with the right wheel spacing! Wouldn[t you know the 3/4 inch tool set is missing too!

Reply to Tire spacing on tractor

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:48:19 -0500

The tractor is a 3294. Thanks for the advice. Seems everyone has a different idea on whether tire tracks in planting row are a big deal. Old timers don't think it makes a difference as they drive on their 15 inch spacing for both corm and beans. It seems to make sense to do all you can in todays environment to do all you can. Thanks again.

Reply to no-till row markers

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:57:34 -0500

where woud one find photographs of the twin disk openers? theres none on the website thanks, jonathan

Tire spacing on tractor

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:07:18 -0500

Anyone have any ideas of tractor tire spacing. I have been getting conflicting advice on whether it is all that important to keep the tractor tires out of the planting rows for compaction. Some say it makes no difference. Run 16 pounds on inside duals and 8 pounds on outer. I have a case front wheel assist, with the tires brought in to 60 inches for a 30 in planter I cannot turn. I bought spacers for the front to take them out to 90 inches but now I'm hearing that I will be taking out seals and putting to much pressure on the spindles.

Reply to start up no-till feild day

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 05:07:44 -0500

The easiest way is to choose your best field or fields. Field should be leveled, well drained and properly fertilized. Most fields I deal with are lacking on all three but especially on fertility. A good soil test balanced properly is rare in Ohio. The Martin planter setup is the easiest system to learn with less failures. Study it and mimic it to a Tee.

No-Till Oats

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:32:55 -0500

I am looking information on no-till oats, does anyone know where I could find information? I live in North East Ohio and no one in my area no-tills their oats.

Reply to no-till row markers

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:14:58 -0500

im anxious to see how farmerGPS works for picking p the "lost" marker. every little bit helps. i had also thought of mouting a light down low to cast a shadow, but it would only work at night and close up anyway.

Reply to no-till row markers

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:42:09 -0500

I can't see the marks without tearing up the field. We need a cheap GPS solution. I am going to try a Cruizer Light Bar with antenna for $1200. At least it is within a foot!

Reply to no-till row markers

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:08:47 -0500

do you have photographs of your markers? ill just follow the old rows also, but where theyre handy is point and headrows.

Reply to lime/calcium apllications

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:29:53 -0600

Yes it will. One ton of high calcium lime is a good thumb rule here every three years. Since that doesn't get done, we apply two tons and once in awhile 3 tons in one application. We never incorporate. Dolomitic lime will increase pH almost twice as fast as calcitic lime. These are soil basics observed and adhered to by farmers in the know.

Reply to lime/calcium apllications

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:35:26 -0600

Many nutrients will be *less* available following lime application. These include Zn, Cu, Mn, and B. As for P, it will more available following liming if the pH is below 5.6. But there is no magic pH value where all nutrients have maximum availability. Liming to a pH of 7 has been largely discredited. ----- -- Matt Hagny, consulting agronomist since '94, founder Exapta Solutions ('99)

start up no-till feild day

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:26:59 -0600

We are planning a no-till field day in clark county WI on july 10 2009. I was thinking of covering some of the different attachments for planters. Like the martin and yetter row cleaners for example. We are also thinking about some vertical tillage tools like the aerwayor what the dealers will bring. What are the important things that should be talked about to inform them of how to transtion to a reduced tillage practice?

Reply to lime/calcium apllications

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:31:17 -0600

Yes, most notillers just put the lime on. Dolomitic raises pH 1.7 times quicker than calcitic. Get the pH up near 7.0 for maximum nutrient release. That works well for me. The finer the grind the quicker it works. Watch pH sensitive pesticides like ALS inhibitors.

lime/calcium apllications

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:07:56 -0600

I've been no-tilling for about ten years.I've had some concerns with lime application on amounts more than a ton to the acre and how well it goes in the ground. I've also been doing some research on using a calcium base lime verses regular dolametic lime it seems the calcium base doesn't make your ph go crazy like the other i was wondering if broadcasting this will incorparate itself good enough without tillage.

Reply to no-till row markers

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:57:56 -0600

I have a little experience with the orthman twin disc markers. They worked well enough that I fabricated something similar for my next planter.

Reply to soys following winter wheat

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:30:31 -0600

Strips could help but I make them with the planter at planting with the row cleaners. I don't use any coulter like the Martin system does. This works well for me and many, you will have to find what works for you!

Reply to soys following winter wheat

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:34:11 -0600

Thomas, in your situation I get the most benefit by planting soybeans early with my corn planter which has row cleaners, use a good treated seed and try to get the seed off to a good start. Otherwise I am planting or drilling too late for maximum yield and still could have slug problems. Ed Winkle

Reply to soys following winter wheat

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:45:08 -0600

Tom, the best pellet we find is a product called Metarex which is very small and gives plenty of baits to the square metre and is rain-fast, they cost about A$10 per kg. Spreading is usually done with quad-bike fitted with applicator. Regards, Greg.

Reply to soys following winter wheat

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:13:40 -0600

We have slug problems here as well in Tasmania with lots of different crops and we use plenty of slug pellets and that appears to be the best cure. Generally 5 kg/ha is enough but sometimes they need a double dose. I have read where some farmers in the UK use up to 30 kg/ha. Regards, Greg.

soys following winter wheat

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:26:06 -0600

I have trouble with slugs in my no till soybean seeding when sowing into wheat residue. Besides sowing into a cooler,wetter seedbed I have tremendous trouble with garden slugs. To date the only effective method I have found is to either run a disc over the stubble ground after harvest, or bale and remove the straw after harvest. I am not to fond of either of these options as one disturbs the soil surface and harms the environment I am trying to create, and the other sells fertility off my farm. Is there a better solution to this problem, something that will preserve my stand from the awful damage coused by slugs? Your help with this would be greatly appreciated. Tom K.

Reply to fertilizer openers for 1200 c/ih planter

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:44:31 -0600

I would second that idea. www.moelleragservice.com Ed

Reply to no-till row markers

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:42:19 -0600

I am talking about corn stalks in a strip till setup. Has anyone tried Orthman Twin Disc Markers and have you had success following the markers?

Reply to what is no-till

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:11:04 -0600

Amen! Been fighting this since the first White 5100 we rented in 1976. Almost gave up on notill until I met Paul Reed on the Internet around 95 and started mofifying the planter like his, he started in 92. Now it is the Martin system that is sold. One pass strip till is a better way to describe it. The aussies laugh at us with their limited disturbance slot planting. No wonder notill corn acres are so low in the states... Continuous notill is best for me and a lot of farmers I consider better than me... Ed Winkle

no-till row markers

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 10:05:23 -0600

I don't farm enough acres to justify auto-steer GPS. I have trouble following planter/strip till markers in high residue fields. Any solutions?

what is no-till

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:46:07 -0600

I resently whent to a central Wisconsin forage council meeting that had a speeker from UW-Madison. He presented some information from the plot on no-till, strip-till and chisel plowing. What I realy had a problem with is what they call no-till. They are defing no-till as just taking the planter out to the feild from the show room floor and planting. no-till with no modifications. That a planter with row cleaners is considerd a strip-till planter and a drill that has a colter in front of the double disc openers is also strip-till. The planter that they use has row cleaners on it but the disengage them when they do no-till research. To me it almost souds like they whant "no-till" to fail. Plus now I don't know if I am a no-tiller as I have thought for the past eighteen years or a shallow strip tiller.

Reply to No-till wheat in 15" rows

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:40:43 -0600

I have seen Deere and Kinze planted wheat in 15 inch rows. There must be a plate. I can put you in contact with a farmer who does this if you email me at edwinkle@verizon.net Ed Winkle

fertilizer openers for 1200 c/ih planter

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:39:32 -0500

I purchased a C/IH 1200 planter and have ran it one year, they sold me a fertilizer attachment that replaces one of the closing discs with a straight one and injects the fertilizer in the slot made by the straight disc. I am not happy and was wondering what others no-tilling with the C/IH planters were using to put their fertilizer on with. We are putting a fertilizer with a fairly high salt content so in furrow is not an option.

Manure Applicator Needed

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:57:56 -0500

Posted on behalf of David Holste, Effingham, IL, 217-739-2491 Going to no-till is one of the best things I have every done, but I need to find someone to apply about 1 million gallons of hog manure with a no-till applicator in the Effingham, IL area so I can be 100% no-till. If you happen to know of someone, my phone number is 217-739-2491 or email me at holste@wbnorriselectric.com.

No-till wheat in 15" rows

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:20:52 -0500

Does anyone have any experience using a John Deere Maximerge planter to plant winter wheat in 15" rows? I have a 7240 vacuum splitter planter and would like to know about what plate to use, seed setting, etc. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

NW Indiana No-till Field Day

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:36:06 -0500

The Carroll, Clinton, Howard, and Tippecanoe County Soil and Water Conservation Districts will host a No-Till Field day on August 27. This event will be held at the Purdue Beck Agriculture Center located on US 52 in West Lafayette, Indiana from 9:00a.m. to 2:30p.m. Guest speakers will cover the economics of no-till, corn-after-corn rotation implications, weed control/wellhead contamination prevention, and soil quality. An equipment demonstration will also take place. Credits for Pesticide Application Re-certification and Certified Crop Advisor Continuing Education Units have been requested for the day. This event is open to the public and a free lunch will be provided. Pre-registration is required and can be made by calling the Clinton County SWCD office at 765-659-1223 ext. 3, Tippecanoe County SWCD at 765-474-9992, Carroll County SWCD at 765-564-2849 ext. 3, or Howard County SWCD at 765-457-2114 ext. 3.

no-till good or bad

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:26:48 -0500

I have been around farming all my life (36 years) and watched my dad go from working ground to all no-till about 8 years ago. I farm on my own and see how it has worked for him, so I have no-tilled half my corn the past two my years with some success. Last night I was ready the Indiana Agri news and they had two articles about no-till and the moral to the stories was it will not work. They stated that less arobic activity was happening, more erosion, and nutrient stradification was taking place. This was very concerning to me for I am trying very hard to go to no-till totally in my operation due to many reasons, fuel, labor machinery. I hope I'm going down the correct path for success in my operation!!!

Maple Trees

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:58:50 -0500

How do you get rid of small maple trees in your fields?

Reply to Dandelion Control

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:57:34 -0500

On our farm we run one quarts round up and one pint 2,4D. This has worked very well for burn down. In some cases we have used aim instead of 2,4D. This kills them dandelions fast. We also use Raptor with the post application of round up this has worked very well and gives use some residual.

Reply to Dandelion Control

Sat, 24 May 2008 19:10:31 -0500

I sprayed Basis on a field with dandelion problems last fall that was going to corn this year. Planted it today and the Basis has nearly totally eliminated the dandys. Also had a lot of chickweed in that field and it did a good job on it too.

Reply to corn and dairy manure

Sat, 24 May 2008 07:49:10 -0500

Donald, Apply the manure onto a living cover crop. That solves several problems at once.

colters on lilliston drill

Mon, 19 May 2008 14:51:17 -0500

Hi, I recently purchased a used Lilliston 9680 no till drill. It has a straight disk to open the ground ahead of the double disk openers. A complete set of ripple disks came with the drill. My question is, would the ripple disk work better in old sod than the straight disk? Our soil is loam, not light and not heavy.Will be planting oats, barley and millet. Also alfalfa/ pasture mix. The sod would be killed with round up ahead of planting .Preferably the fall before. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. Rob Young

Reply to Dandelion Control

Sun, 18 May 2008 09:09:14 -0500

Dandelions have been one of my most troubling to control weeds the last few years. Partially because of 2-4-D resisistant bio types. Partly because, as Jim mentioned, late harvest dates sometimes. Our first experiance with Valor was a spring premerge application. We knew we weren't going to be 100% effective, but it was far better than anything else we could use. That, followed by Classic post (if you can use it), gave us satisfactory control. Spring Valor gave us season long control, but I really want more than that. Really, any dandelion control measures on the front end of their life cycle is for revenge anyway. They need to be controlled on the backside (fall) of their life cycle if eradication is your goal. When we have the opportunity, we liked fall Valor/2-4-D. Haven't seen a real responce to RU with dandelions regardless of when it was applied. The downside for us with Valor is that we have to decide if we're going to fall spray, or use cover crops in a field. Valor and cover crops, particularly cereal rye, don't mix well at all. Valor won the battle every time we tried. Last fall, we tried Autumn for dandelion control ahead of both corn and soys for this year. So far, it looks pretty promising. We did make a pass with the sprayer over some established rye last fall, didn't seem to harm the rye. That opens up a lot of options for me if I can apply Autumn on established cover crops. Autumn was touted as a thistle control chem as well, but I still saw some this spring at planting. Dandelions are almost non existant. We like to spray both Autumn and Valor the same as we do glyphosate- low water, heavy NIS and any other spreader/sticker/snake oil you think will increase uptake. Be careful with any additive that'll burn the foilage too fast. Its gratifying to burn the top foilage off in a day or 2. Doesn't kill the weed generally speaking, but makes you feel good. Right up until it becomes apparant that your problem is growing out of your chem application again.

chem fallow info

Wed, 14 May 2008 21:53:21 -0500

Being a new owner of an older Concord air drill, I have decided to ease into the direct seeding business. I am currently in a 60/40 farm/fallow rotation. This will be my first official year of chem fallow as opposed to my old tillage methods of controlling weeds. I just have a few issues / and or questions. I am currently spraying my first pass with 16 oz of rt3 TO kill cheatgrass, volunteer wheat, and some very small broadleafs. The problem I am having is that the field yielded 67 bushels/acre winter wheat last year, and the stubble was left very tall. I don't know if my 10 gallons per acre of solution is going to cut through all that straw and get a good kill. Any suggestions? I've waited as long as I dare for the grasses to poke through, for the cheatgrass is thinking about heading out. Will this mass of straw deteriorate throughout the summer or will it always be an issue? There's also a few small piles of russian thistle carcasses. Am I going to have a mess after the next rain? I've seen a lot of chem fallow fields have these same issues, so there must be a secret. The second question is; In this day and age of high fuel prices vs. climbing glyphosate prices, will somebody pencil this out and convince me that chem fallow is as cost effective as tillage. I usually kill fallow four passes to get to winter wheat and five passes to get to spring wheat. I am told that the next pass in late June or early July usually requires the addition of 24d ester as well as glyphosate, raising the spraying bill even more. My tractor and chisel plow burns .75 gallons/acre ($3/acre fuel cost) diesel fuel and it gets 100% kill every time. What is soil moisture worth, and do I really have to lose money for seven years until the soil structure benefits of no-till reach their potential? By the way this is dryland, south east Montana, 13 inch precip. zone, and one the earliest growing seasons in the state.

Reply to Grazed alfalfa compaction

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:26:20 -0500

Did you graze the field hard this winter? Have you burned down the alfalfa already? I'm no expert--just my two cents worth here: I read somewhere that when there is a living root system underneath, compaction not much of a problem. With this past winter being so wet (at least here in SC Kansas), it was not conducive to having cattle out on the fields. If you did have the livestock out there this winter and then allowed the alfalfa to green up before burndown, the roots may have been able to alleviate some of the compaction. Last year I burned down alfalfa with 48 oz. of 4# glyphosate after 2nd cutting. I had grazed it fairly hard the fall before but moved the cows to wheat pasture for winter. Planted sudan 2nd week of July 2007. Starting about mid-August I grazed it hard until frost. I grazed it too hard in fact. I should have left some residue, but it was just nubbins when I took the cows off. (It was either that or break into my stockpile of hay sooner.) I planted corn in that field on April 22 and seem have a good stand. I'll find out at harvest how well it does. You may want to take a steel penetration rod and poke down into the soil and compare your alfalfa field to some of your other no-till fields.

Grazed alfalfa compaction

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:07:46 -0500

Im still wondering what you all think about planting milo into 5-6 year old alfalfa that we have intensively grazed every winter. Im concerned with the compaction issue. Good black soil in NC Kansas. JD 1590 Notill Drill w/ liquid.

Reply to No-Till in Sand

Thu, 08 May 2008 21:54:45 -0500

In light sandy ground the keys to getting notill to work are residue and fertility. I have used cereal rye as a cover crop to help build organic matter and have tried and really liked some pop up fertilizers containing humic acid such as Black Label (from UAP). The biggest challenges you will have are not specific to no till but to the soil itself, building up organic matter and fertility and of course sufficient moisture which will be MASSIVELY enhanced with a good residue cover. Notill is the ONLY way to farm on sand. Good luck

Reply to Dandelion Control

Thu, 08 May 2008 21:39:50 -0500

I have the same problem, and have had mixed results with glyphosate and 2,4D. My best results are with fall burndown but since I am in Michigan by the time the crops come off I don't get much chance to spray. I have been told the ideal timing is just after a light frost but I often don't finish harvest until the ground is fully frozen. There are two chemicals that I would recommend though....to mix with your post emergence spray....classic and valor, either (not both DO NOT combine them) will help to further suppress the dandelions that escaped the burndown.

Reply to Case IH double-disc closing wheels

Thu, 08 May 2008 21:18:16 -0500

I run a 900 series caseih planter equipped with both the shoup notched closing discs and the notched marker to plant both beans and corn in continuous (8 years and counting) notill. The notched closing wheels work great in most soil types and I would recommend them to anyone with two potential difficult areas. Those are excessively wet soils where the martin spiked wheels tend to work better and extremely dry (hard and crusty) conditions where you may also want to consider the caseih optional heavy duty closing disc spring. if the ground is wet especially clay or clay loam soils it tends to "ribbon" the soil when closing the trench and when it dries the seed trench can reopen and leave your seed exposed. In extremely dry and hard soils run the notches backwards in the aggressive setting and they will close the trench but they tend to "lump" the soil if it is really dry and it can take significant rain to get the crop to emerge. But both of those problems are extreme examples in extreme conditions. I have run them for going on three years and would highly recommend them. The notched marker discs....well, they are better than the factory caseih discs to be sure. In sandy soils or where moisture is adequate they work well. If the soil is hard or dry or if you happen to plant with the row of corn stalks they don't penetrate well (similar to the original discs) also, they are a "push" marker so if your planter has folding markers it will "walk them in" unless you disassemble the disc and reverse it. I tried them for a year or two, then built a double disc marker setup (email me for pics on how I did it) that worked much better. I still am not satisfied and am strongly considering purchasing the disc, depth band, bearing and bracket assembly from my jd dealer for a 1590 notill drill which is a larger 16" instead of 12 1/2 diameter and has a depth band. I have tried wheels and weights and even considered trying a foamer....markers seem to be the one thing on my planter I am not satisfied with. Anyone else have any suggestions? If anyone has questions about setting up a caseih planter to notill or for narrow rows email me at jdafarms@airadv.net I have been using them for over ten years and notilling with them in every soil type for 8 of those.

Reply to first time 750jd drill for beans

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:07:55 -0500

Make sure to set the meter clips in the more open position! I would suggest setting the meter adjustment for 2 marks more than the chart. I use a depth setting of 1.25". In here a no-til drill, tractor and operator is $20/acre.

Reply to first time 750jd drill for beans

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:05:10 -0500

The 750 JD drill is tough to beat in my opinion, Up here in north central MN the going rate for bean or wheat planting is 18.50 acre, but hardly any one has a no till drill around here. 5 years ago when I bought mine all the neighbors thought I was crazy, now they all want me to custom seed their fields.

Reply to marlyn debeer

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:39:19 -0500

Depends on the field layout. Mine are layed such that is more time consuming to plant at an angle but many do. I plant, drill with the rows but it looks better when I go the direction of the stalks. That is not always easier either. If you have any row humps, it is bumpier to drill at an angle. Otherwise I drill with the rows. Don't forget to inoculate your beans with one of the new inoculants and don't over populate in good soil conditions which is what we have in Ohio right now. I am sure you will find what is best for you. My best notilled drilled soybeans come from 100-140k final populations and that is more important than drill direction. Get them about one inch deep.

marlyn debeer

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:20:39 -0500

first time notiller what is the best way to plant in standing corn stalks? do i go straight up and down the rows or at a little bit at an angle ill be drilling beans with jd 750 notill drill. I know this mite sound like dumb ?s but never notilled before and need all help can get so dont make costly mistakes lol. thanks

corn and dairy manure

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:30:25 -0500

We are a 100% no-till in our crop rotation. It has worked out great. but we have trouble with the second year of corn. We apply about 95000-12000 gallons per acer. The corn on soy has always bean great corn and is treated the same. I have noticed that it seams to be a bigger problem in spring applied then in fall applied manure. I am looking for any good ideas on how to handle the manure without injecting.

Josh Biggs

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:18:26 -0500

We have just purchased our first no till drill JD 1590. What do you think of notilling milo into 6 year old alfalfa that we have grazed every winter? Im afraid of the compaction? Any thoughts would be appreciated

Reply to first time 750jd drill for beans

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:52:28 -0500

This should get you started: http://exapta.com/knowledge/tipdrill.html -- the DVD has still more info.

first time 750jd drill for beans

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:14:35 -0500

Reply to Nitrogen at planting

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:35:18 -0500

Richard, I have now been doing this type of application for several years with great success. The biggest difference is that I strip-till. In the fall I apply all my P & K with 20 lbs of N. When I plant I put 120 lbs of N , 3" over and 3/4" below the seed, along with starter. Before emergence, I go back over and apply my herbicides and 40 lbs of N over the top. From what we have tried, I am not sure you would want to apply any more N or be any closer to the seed. I have been corn on corn for the pass 4 years and last year was my best ever overall bu per ac avg ! My overall usage of N has dropped by 40 lbs per ac and my yields are up ! In my opinion, I feel it is very important to apply some N over the top as it serves in many different ways. Denny

Reply to Nitrogen at planting

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:05:52 -0500

Hi, my name is Richard, here's my question: By banding urea, is it possible to cut the rates of nitrogen usage if you're banding all your fertilizer next to the row? Not doing any broadcast, banding only. I'm putting this all on with the planter. And, how far from the seed would this all have to be so it doesn't burn?

spiked closing wheels

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:23:00 -0500

Has anyone had any experience with the shoup spiked closing disc system. Any thoughts

Case IH double-disc closing wheels

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:15:27 -0500

This is my second year no-tilling beans into corn stubble. We have sandy loam soil here mainly. I retrofitted a 950 Case IH planter to 21" rows and added a unit mounted 8 wave coulter from yetter. I have determined the opening discs and closing discs are worn out and i am seeing plenty of aftermarket closing systems available for these planters. Should I change systems or stick with the old one? Has anyone had any experience with "Shoup" replacement parts and notched marker discs??

Reply to What are you doing differently this sping?

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:21:45 -0500

I'm just trying to fine-tune, I guess you'd say. I'm double checking all the planter and drill parts to try for that perfect stand, replacing a lot of worn coulters. Stepping up the 28% in my row starter. Selected more BT/RW hybrids instead of just BT, as in the past. Gonna try to plant earlier if conditions are right. Especially beans. Also, it may not be a factor this spring but I bought a no-till ripper to help complete my soil transition to total no-till. This is my third crop year as all no-till. Mark

Reply to What are you doing differently this sping?

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:27:20 -0500

I haven't had much success growing soybeans here in central Kansas. Last year they looked good most of the summer, but I missed several rains in August that came within about five miles of my place. I was disappointed with my yields. I had planted a longer season bean and they didn't dry down until mid-October. My normal rotation is to plant winter wheat on bean ground about October 10-15, but a late bean harvest meant a late wheat sowing date. I had what I felt was success with double crop sunflowers (after winter wheat), so my plan is to divert some acres from beans to 1st crop sunflowers. The input costs will be a bit higher, but the flowers should withstand periods of drought better than beans. The last time I checked (last week) I could contract NuSun sunflowers with an "Act of God" contract for just over .30/lb. With an AOG contract I contract acres, not bushels. If I lock in a price on xxx bushels of beans, then I need to raise xxx bushels to deliver. With an AOG contract I deliver whatever those acres produce. The contract maxes out at 1200#/acre. Anything over that I can either sell for the current price at time of delivery or I can store them and sell at a later time, like any other grain crop. The biggest problem is that sunflowers are such a minor crop around here that the local elevator manager doesn't like to mess with them. He told me today that he hopes by the middle of September his facility will be full of corn, so he won't have any room for sunflowers. Another thing I've done more of this year than ever before is to lock in input costs. I hate to put out the money now for these high prices, but I have no reason to believe prices for fuel, fertilizer and chemicals will decline substantially before I need to use them. Most of my suppliers have told me if prices go down I will get the better price, but I trust that I have put a cap on these prices. I feel reasonably sure they will deliver the products when I need them unless there is some catastrophic event to disrupt the delivery pipeline. At the No-Till On the Plains Winter Conference in Salina, KS in January, there was much discussion about cover crops. I am considering putting out some cover crops after wheat harvest, rather than doublecropping all my wheat acres as I have done in the past. Some of the presenters spoke of planting a "Cover Crop Cocktail" using several species. Mother Nature never plants just one specie of vegetation in a field. It was suggested that after wheat, one should plant a mixture of warm season grasses and warm season broadleaves with one or two of the broadleaf species being legumes to fix nitrogen. (After fall harvest one should plant cool season grasses and broadleaves.) One presenter said to start by cleaning out the seed shed to use up any leftover seed. Just be careful not plant something that could interfere with next year's crop and be sure to burn it down before it makes seed. The goal is to increase organic matter. I had one neighbor that planted a mix of sudangrass and sunflowers late last August. The sudan didn't die until our first freeze in the first week of November (about 2-3 weeks later than normal). The coffee shop talk was abuzz with what he was going to do with that tangled mess. He had offers to have it grazed or chopped for feed, which he didn't accept. He felt there was no more residue than what is typically left after a 100 bushel milo yield (which is good for this area). He made one pass with a drill (no seed) last fall just to see how the drill would handle the residue. It worked just fine. He does have a potential problem in that we have had a wet winter, and the residue may prevent the ground from drying out by the time he wants to plant soybeans there. That is where a green winter cover may have been a better option for him. This response is quite lengthy. Sorry, I don't know how to be brief. That is what several of us are doing in central Kansas.

Reply to controlling trees

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:46:17 -0500

Been no tilling since 1971 in EC Ks. & trees can certainly be a problem. Spike the glyphosate w/ 2-4-D, wait @ least 3-5 days before planting & that should bring the little tree sprouts down, if they are leafed out good.

Reply to What are you doing differently this sping?

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:42:54 -0500

Ed, I have not been farming long on my own (this will be my fourth crop year), but I guess that I am really not doing anything different this year. I have tried to be diligent about soil sampling and fertilizing at the recommended levels. I know of some guys that are cutting back on fertilizer becasue of cost, however, with the high crop prices, the cost-benefit ratio still says to fertilize at recommended levels. Each operation is different, hopefully, we will all benefit come fall. Speaking of high input prices, heard today that DAP hit $825/ton at the local coop; makes my $618 in January look like a real bargain. Maybe I should sell mine.(LOL)

What are you doing differently this sping?

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:07:35 -0600

Feeling a little smug we put on more than enough P and K and micro's the past few years. What are you doing differently this year with the high input prices?

Reply to No-till corn into alfalfa

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:22:39 -0600

Seed-to-soil contact: be sure to run a Keeton with plenty of tension on it, or a seed-lock wheel. ----- -- Matt Hagny, consulting agronomist since '94, founder Exapta Solutions ('99)

Reply to No-till corn into alfalfa

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:40:58 -0600

Hay field compaction is an over-rated worry. I have had excellent results going into 25-30 year old hay stands. Be very much aware that just because the top of the "slot" is closed does not mean you have seed to soil contact, make very sure that the seed trench is bottom closed.

Reply to No-till corn into alfalfa

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 08:27:23 -0600

I'm not so worried about the insects & getting the alfalfa-sod killed as I am about the ground being compacted from 6 years of haying & in places there like pot holes inbetween the alfalfa plants. I am planning to use Poncho 250 and maybe some Capture LFR. Thanks for all the replies!

Reply to No-till corn into alfalfa

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:37:10 -0600

I have been doing corn into sods for over 25 years now. Watch insect pressure closely, it might be very much worth while to just plan on a good wide spectrum soil insecticide. Wireworms, sod webworms, and various minor pests can just make life interesting. Poncho 250 on seed is a given. Grasses can be tough to take down in spring as they are growing from root reserves and you will need a good soil active herbicide.

Reply to No-till corn into alfalfa

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:56:53 -0600

Here is one reply for you: "KILL SOD ASAP, do not play nice, 2 qts generic glyphosate, 1 pt 2,4-D, 1 # atrazine, 20 gpa carrier, flood it lots of coverage. Use a RR, LL or CL hybrid, trash whippers are good, finger closing wheel well worth the money. 15 gpa of 30% N beside row, decomposition of grasses will eat up a pile of N early in the growing season."

Reply to No-till corn into alfalfa

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:36:02 -0600

If you get it killed you should have no more problems and probably less than corn after corn in my experience. Lots of guys have done this and I will try to get an answer from them to you.

No-till corn into alfalfa

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:23:33 -0600

I am looking for suggestions on how to do a great job of no-tilling corn into 5-6 year old alfalfa stands with some brome grass. I have heard that no-till can work in this situation but I'm having a hard time convincing myself to try it. We have sandy to clay soils on rolling to steeps hills. In past I typically deep chisel then disk once before planting. My tillage method has worked well for me yield wise but with high fuel prices has become expensive. I have a JD 7200 planter with Dawn coulter/whipper combos that I've used for no-tilling corn on corn. Any comments or suggestions? Thank You, Rex Cargill

Reply to Dandelion Control

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:19:42 -0600

Correct answer. Fall is by far the best time to get those nasty pest's. Before we understood them better we on ocasion used 3 qts. glyphosate in the spring and only moderatly took care of them. But with a qt.+ and 2-4D in the fall it just wipes them out!!!!!!!!!!!! Have to remember, in the spring things are coming up and in the fall they are going down. Donn E. Branton

Reply to Dandelion Control

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:21:01 -0600

I agree, fall spray is best. If you have dandys in spring hit them harder with glyphosate and 2,4D when they are small. Do not go light on rates on dandys, you won't get them.

Reply to Last chance farmer.

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:57:14 -0600

Paul is right, get it level. Send a soil sample for testing to www.midwestlabs.com and ask for yield recommendations for the crops you want to plant. Lime and fertilize accordingly within your budget. Leveling and a cover crop would have been great last summer but you have to start somewhere. Ed Winkle

Reply to Phoenix Rotary Harrow

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:38:46 -0600

Here is a start: http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/forsale/list.asp?catid=1131&man=PHOENIX http://www.npend.com/salespl%20phoenix.htm http://www.google.com/search?q=phoenix+rotary+harrow+dealers&hl=en&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS245US246&start=10&sa=N

Phoenix Rotary Harrow

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:45:08 -0600

Does anyone know a dealer in the upper midwest that sells the Phoenix Rotary Harrow? I saw on a newsgroup that someone just purchased a new one and I am interested in pricing one. Thanks for any help!

Reply to Dandelion Control

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:34:39 -0600

Fall control works best. They have wintered over when you hit them in the spring, hit them with the same in the fall before it gets real cold. I wiped mine out, you can too.

Dandelion Control

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:57:27 -0600

How do I control dandelions in soybean fields? I have a couple of fields in which I can't seem to control them. I have been using glyphosate at 3 pints per acre and 2,4-D ester at 1 pint per acre as a burndown. In one field I did a small plot with the same spray a couple of weeks later and the dandelions survived although they were burned. Thanks.

Reply to Nitrogen at planting

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 07:22:10 -0600

If there is an answer to Binstock's question, I would like to here it also.

Reply to Nitrogen at planting

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:42:38 -0600

I would like to switch our JD 1895 drill over to NH3,from urea. Just wondering is there any noticeable leaching? And are there a specific opener that works the best as far as freezing to the disc,and closing the furrow

Reply to Last chance farmer.

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 06:58:54 -0600

Sorry it took so long to response-I don't check in here often. To be succsessful in no-till you need to get the ruts out BEFORE you start farming it. Take a disk-if you don't own one hire someone to do it-and get it level. I had to do that the 1st year I started because the ground had been heavily cultivated the previous year. From then on you will find that after a couple years the ground will be much firmer and the structure will support the equipment without rutting. And if at all possible stay out of the field when it is extremely wet.

Reply to evidence based research

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:54:24 -0500

Jim. I suggest that you contact the Pacific NW Direct Seed Association. They have an office in Moscow Id. They are a great bunch of guys from all over the Palouse who are making no-till in the work. They can also direct you to ag researchers at WSU and the U of Idaho. I have heard of landlords putting requirements for no-till right in their leases and I suspect you will have plenty of offers on such a lease. Here is a a link to the NW Direct Seed Association. Email addresses and phone numbers should be on the site. http://www.directseed.org/

evidence based research

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:24:26 -0500

I have a wheat farm in the Palouse region of Northeast Wa state. half of my ground has been leased out to a no-tiller with 30+ years of experience for the past 8 years, the other half is leased out to a "conventional" farmer (for the last 2 generations). We want the conventional land no-tilled ,but want to convince the current farmer to switch methods. This has not gone over well. No-till got a bad rap in this region about 30ish years ago by a few experimenters that lost a lot of money and didn't stick it out long enough to work out the system. any suggestions and facts about how to to hold up our decision that no-till is better in the long haul would be greatly appreciated as the new lease is coming due this year.

Last chance farmer.

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:55:58 -0500

Well hello No till farmers : I hope you can bare with Me long enough to make this "Small Operation" Of Our's a No till success story ? at first I wasn't to hot on the notion of Notill farming but after I read about a farmers Success story I figured Let's do it. Because I do not rely on My Crop to sustain Me Financially trial and error won't kill Me . Now We closed on this property last July so it's sat without a crop in it since the Late fall harvest of corn 2005 so I guess it was turned sometime during the winter because it's all deep ruts now and weed . My question is what do I do to get My fields ready to go ? I've spent the last 20 yrs working for a Landscape design company so the closest I have ever been to farming was getting customers Bed's ready for plantings and Lawn installations and irrigation . I also worked every summer at Heinkers Farms {Corn, all type's of Vegetable's} But as far as My Own 30 acre crop field NO I have Not . CAN YOU HELP PLEASE ? I WANT THIS LIKE I WANTED MY FIRST PICK-UP TRUCK ! because We Own this Old Farm house {1890} which at one time was over 300 acres but over the years was sold off . I'm not going anywhere . The barns are here everything is right here even a farm pond.

erosion troubles

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:13:55 -0500

I've been in no-till for about a year and a half, and my ground is still highly erodible. I had twenty two inches of rain in may, now i have some terrible ruts in spots. Whats the best implement to use to fix these spots?

Reply to Starter fertilizer

Fri, 25 May 2007 09:06:30 -0500

A salt is a combination of an acid and a base. If the pH of the fertilizer is somewhere near pH 7 it contains salts. Essentially all fertilizer materials are salts. If it is "low salt" fertilizer it means it is low in plant nutrients. Respectfully, Matt Hagny, consulting agronomist since '94, founder of Exapta Solutions ('99).

Reply to Starter fertilizer

Fri, 18 May 2007 22:30:51 -0500

Base ours on soil test. We are low in P so we use a 6-24-6. Many use 5 gallons of 10-34 so I wouldn't be afraid but personally I don't want all that salt in my trench. Probably doesn't hurt a thing but I don't want it there. S is important, almost all of my soil and tissue tests are low in S. Ed

Starter fertilizer

Wed, 16 May 2007 20:46:59 -0500

I have been useing 12-30-0-3 as my starter 2x2. Has anyone used 10-34-0 as a pop up in furrow at 5 gals. The only concern I have is it may be to hot at that rate. Thanks Cameron Mills

Reply to JD liquid fertilizer single disk openers w/ shoes

Mon, 07 May 2007 06:56:11 -0500

It really works. You will like it. Dave and Paul are innovators. They have moved no-till to the forefront of profitable crop production. Keep up the good work! Mine need to be running right now, back to the field! Ed Winkle

Reply to JD liquid fertilizer single disk openers w/ shoes

Sun, 06 May 2007 22:46:45 -0500

Keith, Check out my website www.moelleragservice.com . I manufacture a knife that will not plug,set back for long life and a stainlees steel tube that deposits the fert. below soil surface. David

JD liquid fertilizer single disk openers w/ shoes

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:36:01 -0500

I recently aquired a JD 7200 with single disk openers and accompanying shoe. I am finding that the shoe is unworkable. In soybean stubble, it gathers and mounds up trash in front. In disced ground, soil jams between the shoe and disc and the disc can't turn. Am I missing something?

no till into wheat straw or burn

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 14:25:10 -0500

i farm in stutgart arkansas and we grow rice beans and wheat. after we cut beans which are on 30 inch beds we no till wheat into the beds. i hope to no till soybeans behind the wheat to keep from tilling because here the hardpan is 10 inches and there is not much moisture in june. i didnt know whether to burn or plant into the straw. we have a 30 ft allplant crustbuster and a 7300 jd planter on 30 inch rows which one will be better?

White Grubs

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 08:38:17 -0500

We seem to have an infestation of white grubs here in south central PA and some are pointing to no-till as the culprit. Anyone else experiencing this problem? How are you dealing with the problem? Are you seeing an increase as a result of no-till?

Reply to Nitrogen at planting

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:47:09 -0500

The reason I make a pass in the fall is for several reasons. I have years of data proving that I get much better results putting my P&K with some N down in the ground about 6". It is down in the ground where it needs to be not over the top. It helps fracture the ground to help let moisture in and most of all leaves a nice 8" wide strip of less residue, which makes it nice to plant into and that strip in the spring warms up quicker. I make one pass in the fall, one pass planting, putting on my N and starter and usually only one pass with my sprayer.

Reply to Nitrogen at planting

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 07:11:27 -0500

Passes ARE money so why do you strip anything in the fall Denny? I can't get it to pencil like the $300 rents I hear in Illinois. Ed

Reply to Nitrogen at planting

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 05:55:30 -0500

Hello ! I am putting down 30 gal per ac of 32 Nit with my planter. I have the Martin row cleaners with the floaters in combo with the fertilizer opener following the trash wheels. I am offset 3" to the side and 3/4" below the seed. Followed by a Keeton seed firmer and then the Martin spiked closing wheels and drag chain. Passes are money and I am doing two things at once and putting the fertilizer where I feel it needs to go. I also strip till in the fall, all my P & K and some N. This works well in bean stubble and in no till corn stalk ground. The results are amazing !

Reply to Nitrogen at planting

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:39:18 -0500

I don't think so. We apoly 20 gallons of 28 and 5 gallons of ammonium thiosulfate 2 inches from the row. My thumb rule is one inch for each 10 gallons of UAN.

Reply to Rookie No-Till help PLEASE!

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 10:25:32 -0600

if the ground seems to be very weedy, then a little extra chemistry besides roundup will go a long way an helping control weeds. over the years your weed seed bank probably built up some. in the spring you will want to do a burn down before planting so you'll have a nice clean seedbed at planting. while your out there with the burn down, another 8-10 dollars worth of preemergence chemical will go along way and easily pay for itself with less early weed competition with your soybeans. it will also delay the growth of the weeds and give you a larger window to spray your postemergence glyphosate. there are several options for this, i would suggest talking to a local coop to find out what works good in your area. i would suggest canopy df, scepter, domain, python, or firstrate. there are plenty of options out there for this. also a 3/8 oz of synchrony xp with your postemergence glyphosate will help. very cheap residual at only abou $2.50 an acre.

controlling trees

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:27:19 -0600

I am having trouble controlling locust and cedar trees in my no-till ground. Roundup does not control them. I live in north central Kansas and have primarily sandy loam soils. Would like any ideas on how to control them. Thanks

Nitrogen at planting

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 14:03:00 -0600

We have been applying 20 gallons of 30% nitrogen in a band 5 inches from the seed at planting.It is injected into the soil. Is it possible to cause damage to the root system of the plant with this much nitrogen applied that closely to the seed? We have red clay soils and are located in the western piedmont of North Carolina. We use a John Deere 1760 Planter.

Reply to No-Till in Sand

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:25:30 -0600

In our sandy bottoms, the key is to have residue. Corn stalks, cover crop, something more than soybean stubble. The more residue you build the better things will get over time. Most people fight residue but in sand, it is hard to have enough to make notill drills and planters work like they are designed to. Ed

Reply to No-Till in Sand

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 00:30:30 -0600

jan, I pull a 15ft. crustbuster 3800 no-till, with an old JD 4520, and have one spot of pure wash ( sand bar ) sand in one field, and at times, with the right conditions, it can be a challenge to pull it through, as it is still well in the ground with the drill fully raised. Will not bother every year, but you know it when it happens. I have a lot of very sandy loam, and have no problems at all with it there. Been no-tilling corn on it since early 80s with deere 7000 8-36 with no problems.

damages from working no till ground

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:33:13 -0600

A excavator has deposited 1/8 to 1/2 inch of subsoil silt on a field that has been in no-till for four years. I need to come up with monetary damages from working up the field to remove some of the silt. I plan on disking the field. Anyway, I have to pay $15 back to the NRCS because I was in the EQUIP program. I will have $30 custom rate for working up the soil. Is there any research that would give me a hard dollar amount to the loss of soil structure, water infiltration, etc? The NRCS was not able to give a number, but only to say it takes about 7 years to reach a peak of benfits from no-till. Or are there any experts that would be willing to give me a number Thanks in advance, Steve

Reply to subsoiling standing wheat

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 10:14:15 -0600

Ed when did you do it and did you go at an angle to the drill or with it?

Reply to subsoiling standing wheat

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 19:40:04 -0600

Yes, it worked out fine.

subsoiling standing wheat

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 07:52:10 -0600

I have a paratil and have already a stand of wheat has anyone subsoiled into a wheat stand?

Reply to No-Till Corn on Corn question

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:05:23 -0600

I remember that article but don't have it handy. The NoTill Farmer staff is excellent at providing links or articles, just call or email them. I have used a few gallons of 28 with ow without corn syrup and even a fall herbicide program with good success. Currently we are using MAP or DAP broadcast in our fall fertilizer program with good results based on recommendations from our ammonium acetate soil test.

No-Till Corn on Corn question

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 14:34:30 -0600

There was an article in No-Till Farmer this year about using fall applied 28% to aid in corn stalk break-down for continuous corn. I would like more information on this subject or the month and year the article was published. Thanks

Reply to Successful No-Till Operation?

Sat, 09 Sep 2006 08:00:47 -0500

Some good points on here. I encourage everyone to nominate their top notill products and send it to Frank or Ron. Ed Winkle

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 19:33:24 -0500

VA. If you buy a J.D. drill you won't have to get busy because you won't be doing ground work. It is possible to sow corn with conventional drill by blocking every other spout it won't be as accurate in placing seed but does work i.e. 15" rows. The Pasja is sown on 7.5" rows & will stand wet feet, the trick is not to bog it when feeding off,take stock off when very wet. Irrigator has 400m of 4" hose with gun nozzle,with reel on turntable thus 800m run. All corn has now been harvested and calculated yield is 20 Tonnes D.M. Ha. that was sown on 20" rows. Regards, Greg.

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:06:34 -0500

Thanks for the response. I know it's been a while. Things are starting to get busy here. The weather is drying and warming now in California. It won't be long now before field work starts. Is your experience (Greg) in Tasmania with the drill also useful with the Pasja (spelling) you are talking about. You mean it does well on heavy clay soil that at times is very wet? Is it drilled in like the corn? I've talked with the local JD dealer and he's unfamiliar with what you have. How much homework he will do I don't know. Seven and a half inch spacing? For corn? You control weeds by plane or helicopter? How far is the hose you talk about irrigate? Is it similar to a large sprinkler? We use that here? Thank You again for writing back VA

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 00:41:12 -0500

V.A. If dirt sticks to your tractor tyres then it is too wet. Actually the corn was sown after potatoes, some ground work was required to level seed bed and the crop was irrigated with hard hose irrigator. The milk line is half way down now at harvest which has taken 130 days. I would suggest if your clover is not germinating it is because you have sown it too deep,1/2 inch is plenty deep enough for clover. We have a brassica plant here called Pasja which is similar to Kale it produce's plenty of autumn and winter feed, direct drill after wheat.

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 14:56:25 -0500

Thank You for responding. I'm confused as to what the planter will look like but I'm sure a local J.D. dealer can help. So what rule of thumb do you use to decide when it is still too wet to get in and plant? I take it for granted this corn is drilled in no-till after a winter wheat crop? How many seasons have you farmed this way? Is there anything we should be aware of before trying this? How do you know you're not going in still too wet and getting poor germination/emergence? It must be automatic to use a seed coat fungicide? Is some or all of this corn grown without irrigation or dryland? Do you ever have trouble with maturity and harvest? Is corn 90 or more like 120 days to harvest? Here is Northern California we normally plant a ryegrass/clover mix for a winter forage or silage. Usually the ryegrass may be the only thing that comes up, especially if it floods to a greater degree. Have any other ideas for winter annual forages that do well with sometimes wet feet? Thank You again for all the info VA

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 02:53:47 -0500

VA. Sorry for the confusion, corn was planted with home built unit based on J.D. planter at 20" rows, with dry fertiliser side dressed. We are not allowed G.M. material in Tasmania, but weeds are not a problem, atrazine is the main chemical used. Claas S.P. forager with Kemper head which is not row dependant does the harvest for silage. I have a 30 ft. J.D. 1890 on 7.5" spacing, the reason I suggested after market closing wheels was because of your heavy land, the J.D. wheels are a bit enclined to leave furrow open when wet. The J.D. 750 would be appropriate for smaller acres. I am not a J.D. sales person but they are a pretty good drill.

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 14:41:35 -0500

Thank You for writing back! This is the husband interested in finding out more of the how to here in the U.S. Wow, 20" row spacing is narrow. What do you use to harvest? How do you control weeds? You said that you used a J.D. single disc with after market closing wheels? Can you describe how that works. Could you give me model number? I take it JD is John Deere? The narrowest I've ever seen here is the U.S. is I believe 24" spacing. I don't know what horsepower requirements would be or if it even changes by that much for what we farm here. The planter we have is at 30" spacing and we pull it with a 35 horsepower Allis Challmers tractor. We're about due for an upgrade so if what you use there can be applied here that would be great. We have problems with weeds and have used RoundUp Ready Corn with success. Yet there is a worry of weeds developing resistance so I'd like to have something else to rotate to that can get sprayed on without the worry of drifting and damaging the corn. Do you have a problem with weeds, insects other than slugs, fungus or diseases? Thank You again for sharing you information! J A's lesser half from the other side of the world V A.

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 06:25:19 -0500

JA. We have corn as high as an Elephants eye about to be made into silage sown on 20" row spacings I reckon about 20 tn D.M. to acre. This is a dairying area and cows are not housed, fed pasture and up to 10kgs wheat per day and the better cows are doing 40 lts. day. Potatoes, brassica crops for human consumption, wheat,barley and poppies are the main crops grown. Being a maritime climate winters aren't that harsh and summer temperatures don't get much above 25 C. Back to your problems, no-till is the only way to go I don't know if you have a slug problem but they can be controlled.

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:39:29 -0500

Greg--Thank you! Can I ask what you plant? What type of temperatures do you have during the year? And how long is your growing season? My husband and I got out the atlas this morning and looked at your latitude. We're so happy to hear from someone in a similar situation, even over the miles, and we'd love to hear much more detail about what you do and more about your conditions, if you have the time. Have you ever tried corn? We are up for other ideas, too, preferably something that can be fed to the cows, but alternative crops are also an option. We look forward to hearing again from you!

Reply to 30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 06:03:55 -0500

JA. The north-west coast of Tasmania is a long way from northern California but we have heavy soils and 40" rainfall and J.D. single disc drill works O.K. may need some after market closing wheels

30 in rain, clay soil, 80 degrees

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:51:49 -0500

My husband and I live on a farm in northern California. The farm has heavy clay soil and floods during the winter. We get in between May and July (depending on how wet the year is) to plant (mostly corn for silage, though some sudan grass), and harvest around Sept. or Oct. (have to harvest before the fields flood out again). We are in a mediterannean climate, fairly mild, with summer ranging from about 70-95 degrees, probably averaging about 80 degrees. On average our area gets about 30 in. of rain in a year. We are looking into low- or no-till but haven't found anyone else with the same type of conditions, so don't know exactly what methods to use. Can anyone direct us to someone who might be in a similar situation? Thanks!

Reply to New player

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 07:41:01 -0600

Marty, If your ground is well drained (no deep compaction) you will have no yield drag and may soon increase your yield. I have been 100% no till for 4 years (min till before that) and the side by sides showed equal yields. The earth worm population is more evident and growing! I believe the fact we were min till for so long helped the quick earth worm growth (no plow on some farms for 30 years)! Our farm has an average of 6.5% organic matter and has been increasing over the last 30 years. We have martin closing wheels and drag chains with yetter seed firmers (a must here) and also use a no till coulter with trash whippers. Many readers on here will not agree with that but in our cold Eastern Ontario soils this works well!! As some of the readers suggested research is important but most importantly be ready to adapt for change under YOUR conditions. What works well at my farm may not be the best for you. For example one bad experience I had was Yetter fertilizer coulters and ended up with Ausherman which are much better! Best of luck Dave

Reply to Rookie No-Till help PLEASE!

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 19:29:39 -0600

Paul, the new inoculants pay EVERY year, even beans after corn or beans after beans. There are many new, excellent inoculants. There is technology available that will allow companies to inoculate your soybeans at the plant, sit up to 6 months and do the job for you without planter treatments! Look at Excalibre from www.abm1st.com for a look at one of these new products! Ed Winkle

Reply to New player

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 19:05:41 -0600

It really depends on the hybrid, I would consult my seed dealer who sold me the seed. He SHOULD know. Otherwise, just make sure you get it all on but earlier is considered better for the fear of not getting the crop sidedressed. With the high priced fertilizer prices we are all facing, I would use a little less each trip if your soil fertility and type is good and you know you have good residual N levels due to continuous notill etc. The application at planting will do the most good but much yield can often be picked up at side dressing. Ed Winkle

Reply to New player

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:44:17 -0600

Thanks for the help. If you apply 10 or more gal. 28% when you plant do you have to be in a hurry to sidedress? I've been told to sidedress early in no-till because microbes are competing for N?. Also, have you noticed a difference between with pop-up or without.

Reply to New player

Sun, 05 Feb 2006 05:34:39 -0600

Slow down planting speed. I plant all corn at 4 mph. Apply nitrogen beside the row with planter. 10 to 15 gals. Apply popup if you can get the equipment to do so. Plant tall varieties, helps suppress late weed growth. Sidedress with 28% in the ground. Select strong emerging varieties. I have Martin wheels in front and back, drag chains, firmers, and International style gauge wheels. As an experienced no-tiller, I would not expect any yield drag the first yr. or any yr. after that. Where the yield drag comes in to play, is the lack of knowledge, experience, and or commitment that new no-tillers bring to the table. Good luck.

Reply to New player

Sat, 04 Feb 2006 08:28:56 -0600

I saw an immediate response but I had been in notill for years. I know of no way to predict how long before you will see even better yields than you had with tillage or coulter notillage but I would expect it to be quicker than you think it might be. Ed Winkle

New player

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 19:50:03 -0600

I've been chiseling my bean stubble for years followed by a field cultivator pass in spring for corn. No tilling my beans . I've spread bean residue, sprayed for winter annuals. If I set my planter up with the Martin bells and whistles, how long will it take to get good yields? I keep hearing if you can survive the first four years of no-tilling you've got it made. Does it take this long to develop pores, structure. My ground seems mellow now.

Reply to Graham Hoeme No Till Drill

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 15:33:40 -0600

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Graham+Hoeme+NoTill+Drill Looks pretty slim. You might need them made by a machine shop or look for another drill. Ed Winkle

Graham Hoeme No Till Drill

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 14:30:38 -0600

I have a Graham Hoeme No Till Grain drill which I use to sow wheat in my pastures for forage during the winter months. I've had it for a couple of years and I am starting to need some replacement parts pretty badly. Does anyone know where I can buy new parts for a Graham hoeme Drill? Thanks Faber McMullen Navasota, Texas

Reply to Rookie No-Till help PLEASE!

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 09:13:23 -0600

Don't forget your will need innoculant on those beans if there haven't been any there for that many years.

Reply to IS IT TO LATE

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 13:34:49 -0500

I don't think so but it is getting late and who can predict the weather you will get after October 26? In a normal year you would probably be OK! You are in Tennessee and have a lot more potential for warm soils before winter than we do in sw Ohio. It is 40 degrees outside right now and yes we will get some warm days but enough to get your grass seed going? I would say better than 50% chance your way and less than 50% our way. Ed

IS IT TO LATE

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 12:01:09 -0500

IS IT TO LATE TO NO TILL DRILL FESCUE AND ORCHARD GRASS SEED FOR HAY IN MIDDLE TENNESSE . WAS PLANNING ON DOING SO ON OCTOBER 26TH. NEED SOME ADVISE THANKS

Reply to No-Till in wet conditons,many questions?

Sun, 18 Sep 2005 18:28:08 -0500

What did you learn this year Jim? Ed

No-Till Christmas Trees

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 20:08:08 -0500

We have a 40 acre section of hilly, graveled soils that we use for planting christmas trees here in Michigan. Past tilling practices caused a lot of soil erosion so we tried a no till method after removing second tree growth and in a few years we have a multitude of new christmas trees growing. They did not lay-out in rows like the old ways but are still manageable by keeping the old main two tracks open for harvests. Just wondered if no-till has been used for other tree crops by others?

Reply to No-Till in wet conditons,many questions?

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 18:58:39 -0500

Dusty, Send me your email address, I have some things to discuss with you.....Jim

Reply to No-Till in wet conditons,many questions?

Sun, 31 Jul 2005 09:17:53 -0500

Hello Jim...long time. As you know we have been no-till for over eight years. Once in awhile we will have problems with a rut or two. overall we don't, our soil seems to firm a bit over time. While riding the combines you can feel how wet it is under you but rarely do we leave more than the tread as a mark. I have fields that have been no-till wheat for 4 consecutive years and am going a fifth on many of those. My yield this year on all acres was 45 bushel. All the luck, Dusty

Reply to No-Till in wet conditons,many questions?

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 09:49:04 -0500

I am going to notil wheat back into wheat for the first time this fall. I have been using notil for milo into wheat, beans into milo, wheat into beans, in the past, but never have went back to back wheat, until this new venture. This is in Southern Kansas, and was curious as to how people do this in their areas? I waited until about 2 weeks after wheat harvest and sprayed RU on a couple of fields, and they are holding nicely. I see some fields around that are very weedy(not mine), that havent been touched at all. I was curious as to how many sprayings of RU you people normally use before going back into wheat in the fall. I was hoping to just have one more spraying, before I plant in mid/late Sept, am I incorrect in my thinking? Too much cotton in this area to use anything but RU. Do those of you that have done this in the past, have any problems with volunteer wheat coming back in the fall? Im open to all suggestions. thanks, Jim

Reply to No-Till in wet conditons,many questions?

Sun, 26 Jun 2005 15:51:51 -0500

My experience with combine ruts was the longer the field was in no-till the less I had to worry about ruts. Back in the late 80's I first observed this by accident. I had a 30 acre wheat field that had been in no-till 3 years (corn-wheat-soybeans) and because the deer and black bear had consumed the back end of the field resulting in weeds waist high, I disked about 5 acres completely across the back end of the field. In June after harvesting the wheat, I no-tilled the field planting right on across the plowed portion just as if it had not been plowed. Obtained a very good stand of soybeans across the entire field. That fall at soybean harvest time it was very wet. When the JD 7720 4wd harvested the field it dug ruts the entire area of field that had been plowed however each round when it got to the longterm no-till the combine DID NOT leave ruts. In MY opinion, I would strive for long term no-till and concentrate on locating wet areas in the fields and put in surface drains (or tile) to keep water from standing. Land leveling prior to long term no-till is also VERY important for continued success. Good luck with your no-tilling....it is the way to go! Jerry

No-Till in wet conditons,many questions?

Sat, 25 Jun 2005 20:12:10 -0500

I have been no-tilling just one particular field for the past 7-8 yrs, I call it my "no_till test field"(after this long, I shouldnt still be testin(LOL)). This is in South Central Kansas, prime Hard Red Winter Wheat country. I have rotated on this particular field, double crop milo after wheat, milo after milo, soybeans after milo, cotton after soybeans, and wheat after soybeans(in no particular order) I have never no-tilled wheat back into wheat, but this year I am going to try this. The only thing stopping me from trying this wheat after wheat on more of my acres, was the question of what to do if it rained substantially during wheat harvest. This topic came up the past 3 weeks when we had the wettest June I can remember, we had 7" of rain in a 2 day period a few weeks ago. I wondered to myself, what would I do if I had all 2500 acres of my ground into no-till, and this much rain came. How would I deal with the combine tracks, as I just couldnt wait "patiently" and sit idle, without getting some wheat cut. I left this one "test field" of mine until last, and there was no problem with ruts, as it had dried up by the time we cut it this week. How do others deal with the combine ruts, if you are faced with the same situation? I dont think my landlords or my ulcers would let me just wait for a few weeks for it to dry up properly! Jim

Reply to teacher in need of help

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 18:31:05 -0500

Hi Wayne, I am in southwest Ohio and married a lady from Buffalo, Oakfield area NY. Traveled the state quite a bit, retired as an ag teacher and county agent. You stumped me for a bit but I operated a school farm/environmental lab for most of my years. First you need to tie your crop to your student's learning needs and availability. Around here, sweet corn, tomatoes and green beans bring top dollars for the work and ties to so many entrepreneurial and scientific interests. I am not sure what that would be in your area. Blueberries or other vine or tree fruits? Pumpkins, squash? Drainage is key. No one does well in wet soils. I would recommend Ruth Stout's book from Organic Gardening Magazine where she basically raised any plant by using hay as mulch. She limed and fertilized as needed by the type of crop she grew. Hopefully this will give you a start. Don't be afraid to email or call me, I will help you as time is available. Ed Winkle HyMark Consulting LLC ewinkle@erinet.com

Reply to teacher in need of help

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:16:32 -0500

Wayne, here's something I found from an earlier thread on the Farmers' Forum, and parts of it seem like they might be relevant to you. The credit goes to Steve Kizer for the following contribution. I'm 36 and have been farming all my life, i have brought alot of set aside ground back in to production here in west central ohio.the best way i have found is to mow off the weeds the summer before and then apply 1 qt. of roundup in the fall .then in the spring apply another qt.after things start to green up before planting ,then notill them in with the drill,we have a jd 750 drill,then wait on them to get hairy and hit em with another shot or r-up. now i have had success by mowing in the winter , then applying 1.5 qt.in early spring ,,,iv also not mowed at all and burned down ahead of planting ,then just notilled in the standing weeds . all will work , but the first method has been the most succesful for me ...now do i think your crazy? not at all ,,,go for it other things to consider ....better get soil sampled ,,iv found here that after the land had layed in set aside for 10 years it has tended to be vary low on potash,,,,but soil sampling is a must ,,thats all i can think of for now good luck

Reply to Rising Cost of Nitrogen

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:52:26 -0500

We've had no change in nitrogen usage. We are trying to apply urea to wheat shortly before predicted rain. We have been using Roundup before or up to 3 days after no-till planting wheat over soybeans for several years with good weed control, particularly grasses. We still have to hit broadleaf weeds that germinate in the spring with 2,4D. Ed & Sharon Fox

Reply to Rising Cost of Nitrogen

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:46:51 -0500

Nitrogen prices and environmental concerns have moved me to go to variable-rate application of anhydrous ammonia. I sidedress all of it into 8-inch-tall corn. Bob Braun

Reply to Good Start to Season?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:41:09 -0500

The season has gotten off to a great start here in northeast Wisconsin. I have no-tilled in about 145 acres of Fielder's Choice Intellicoat corn the first week of April. We planted our peas, oats and alfalfa at the end of March. We did receive a fair amount of rain on the 19th and that really brought up the grasses and helped the wheat. Let's pray this continues. Dan & Gina Stokes, Omro, Wis.

Reply to Good Start to Season?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:38:07 -0500

Heavy Duty! Corn is flying into the ground with the big guys and big acres and equipment. But then even I like to go by (the saying of) an old neighbor, "oak tree leaves as large as a squirrel's ear" means it's time to plant. Robert Wildermuth

Reply to Good Start to Season?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:26:04 -0500

We started planting beans on the 13th, 300 acres in by the 16th when we switched to corn. We now have 275 acres in. By the 22nd the beans were just ready to break ground and about a 3 inch root. The first corn as a 1 inch root with the sprout just emerging from the kernel. We have been rained out some of this week with a lot of rain today. No-till planting conditions had been excellent up to now. Maury McLean, Lancaster, Wis.

Reply to Biggest Change This Year?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:22:39 -0500

The biggest change for our no-till operation will be planting no-till beans utilizing a parallel tracking light bar instead of markers. By doing this, we saved $3,000 on the cost of our no-till drill. Also, the equipment transfers easily to our sprayer, so we'll be able to spray for rust at night, if necessary. Andy & Kim Jones

Reply to Successful No-Till Operation?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:19:50 -0500

The biggest single factor that makes my no-till operation a success is the owning of my own sprayer. Unless it is financially impossible, I recommend any producer planning to move to a no-till operation to purchase his own sprayer and learn how to use it efficiently. When asked by other producers, I recommend that they purchase the biggest and best sprayer they can afford and do everything in their power to use it correctly and efficiently. J.L. Morgenstern

Reply to Successful No-Till Operation?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:14:25 -0500

Less input costs and more production are the biggest factors in no-till success. Larry & Carol Haynes

Reply to Successful No-Till Operation?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:12:37 -0500

For me, without any doubt, the most important factor for successful no-tilling has been glyphosate herbicide. Without Roundup and its decendants for pre-seed weed control, where would any of us be? I'm a part-time farmer, custom direct seeder (our term for zero tillage seeding) and full-time reduced tillage agronomist. Ron Heller, Vermilion, Alberta, Canada

Reply to Rising Cost of Nitrogen

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:09:16 -0500

Several years ago, in conjunction with ceasing to hire the NH3 application and starting to do it myself, to save money, I switched from spring application to sidedressing. That almost completely eliminates the possibility of wet ground over winter or in the spring denitrifying the fertilizer into something that isn't useful to my crops. I figure that 110 pounds sidedressed is equivalent to 125 pounds in the spring and 150 pounds in the prior fall, unless there was an extended wet period, in which case the comparison is even better. I like to apply NH3 when the corn is between ankle- and knee-high, and then come back on about the last day that you can get a tractor through and spray with 2,4D. This timing usually lines up pretty well with finishing planting the soybeans. One year I had to wait for the applicator and did the 2,4D first, and broke off too much brittle corn putting the NH3 down. Only 1 year in the last 15 did I miss getting the NH3 on, due to an extended rainy period while the crop was at the right size to be applied. Just before tasseling I hired the co-op to come through and dribble liquid nitrogen between the rows, at about two-thirds the normal rate due to being so late in the season, and that worked pretty good for a rescue treatment. It had been so wet so long that I ended up with a better yield than some who got on a full rate preplant. Murray McKee, Des Moines, Iowa

Reply to Successful No-Till Operation?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:01:15 -0500

That's easy: water conservation due to more soaking in rather than running off, and less water lost due to evaporation due to not stirring the soil and more ground cover lowering the soil temperature. Murray McKee, Des Moines, Iowa

Rising Cost of Nitrogen

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:56:11 -0500

Has the rising cost of nitrogen caused you to change your fertilizaion program in any way? If so, how?

Good Start to Season?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:55:13 -0500

It's early, of course, but has the season gotten off to a good start in your area?

Biggest Change This Year?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:54:38 -0500

What is the biggest change you plan to make in your no-till operation this year?

Successful No-Till Operation?

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:53:56 -0500

What was the single biggest factor in making your no-till operation a success?

Reply to teacher in need of help

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:11:16 -0500

With no equipment that sounds like a real challenge. First, you have to kill the plants already growing on the land. That is usually done with a non-selective herbicide like Roundup. If you don't kill those plants, they will outcompete your would-be crops for water and nutrients. As for planting, I guess you could attempt that by hand on a small scale. In true no-till, you would just put the seeds into the dirt at the appropriate depth beneath the residue of the dead plants. But you don't know, without soil tests, how much nitrogen or other fertilizer you need. If you're lucky, maybe the overgrown weeds have been decomposing every year and creating sufficient nitrogen source for your seeds. Good luck.

Reply to teacher in need of help

Thu, 28 Apr 2005 11:54:57 -0500

Thanks for the response Bob. The Roundup is a huge tip, I was going to have the students knock down the standing grass with idiot sticks and use the material for composting. The grass is about waist high and there are some small trees that have grown on the plot. I will use the Roundup and clear out the brush/tree growth. My hope here is to do a side by side analysis of no till vs. till agriculture on a small scale of about 1 acre. We do have a tractor for tilling the land, but don't have the attachment to lay seed no till style. I also do have the ability to do soil testing. I would imagine we would have to plant by hand just like we are running a very large garden. If you have any more tips please feel free to respond. Thank you very much.

teacher in need of help

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 18:02:57 -0500

I am an environmental science teacher in upstate new york who is very interested in beginning a no till farming site on about 1 acre of land. I have no past experience in farming and have no equipment so my class will be planting by hand. How would We go about prepping overgrown land for this endeavor. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

wayne wilkins

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 17:55:18 -0500

Side-dress potash on beans with planter??

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 15:23:17 -0500

I am thinking about side-dressing liquid potash along with a little 28% on my planter when planting row beans. Currently, I place 28% 4x4 on my no-till corn, but am wondering if anyone has tried, or been told not to side-dress potash at plant time?? Please advise.

No-Till in Sand

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 09:23:42 -0600

I'm trying this again, my last thread just disappeared. We are evolving into no-till. All of the info we can find has convinced us that no-till is the way to farm. Everything goes great until we mention that we want to no-till in sand. What are the problems with getting no-till to work in sand? Sincerely, Jan Lake, Owner D+J Farms

grazing stocks

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 06:21:19 -0600

we have been no-till for about 10 years and have always pastured our corn and milo stocks after harvest. we rent the stocks out for $0.35 per day per animal. it usually brings in around $10.00 per acre. we have irrigated and dryland and it is nice in the irrigated to have the cows get rid of some of the residue but in the dryland we are starting to wonder if we are hurting our yields due to compaction in wet years and less residue come spring time. the dryland acres get deep chiseled once every four years in our wheat, corn, milo, chem-fallow rotation. we where thinking by eliminating the grazing maybe we could eliminate the deep chiseling. any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks troy

Reply to Africa No-Tiller Seeks Advice

Sat, 26 Feb 2005 02:14:17 -0600

One of the best No-till drills available is the Cross-Slot made in New Zealand and it can be scaled down for your small fields. You can buy individual drill openers or small mounted units. These drills handle residue well and permit you to apply fertilizer while seeding. Check their web site for more information. Dr John Baker is the inventor and manufacturer of the drill. Dr Baker is a retired professor and very knowledgeable about no-tilling in various conditions are around the world and I am sure he would respond to your inquiries. http://www.cross-slot.com/products_machines.html

Reply to Africa No-Tiller Seeks Advice

Mon, 21 Feb 2005 04:10:00 -0600

To.hmudzamba@yahoo.com. I have been a protagonist for No-Till for more years than I care to remember and have spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars on kit. To my mind a single disc will do all you want to do. John Deere make a box drill about 10 ft. wide

Reply to Africa No-Tiller Seeks Advice

Sun, 20 Feb 2005 11:14:02 -0600

Check out Rolf Derpsch's website: http://www.rolf-derpsch.com -- Rolf does consulting on no-till all over the world, and may be a valuable resource for your area. He has much experience with small farmers (less than 20 ha) whose operations are largely unmechanized, and which are very common in Paraguay and Brazil where Rolf has participated in the development of no-till for the last 4 decades. Interestingly, it is Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina that lead the world in percentage of cropland in no-till. The U.S. has been a laggard, despite much of the technology originating here.

Reply to deserted forum

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 13:28:13 -0600

You're right, Roger. The new formatting did send a lot of people away from this forum, though I'm happy to see there is some discussion recently. Please understand that those of us at No-Till Farmer really didn't have a choice; we had to go to a new format and can't go back to the old one because it was obsolete and technical support for the software was no longer available. For those who might not know, registering for this forum and other features of this Web site is free and takes only seconds. You can register by clicking on "Register" on the left side of the home page screen, then giving your name and e-mail address. It's that easy. I'll try to bring more people back to this forum by putting a few message into No-Tiller Farmer and the e-tip we send out every other week. Thanks to everyone for participating, and please stay with us!

Reply to deserted forum

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 09:40:03 -0600

Roger, I appreciate the response, we have our annual soybean meeting tomorrow and the info will come in handy.. sorry it took so long to respond just finished harvest.

Reply to deserted forum

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 09:37:04 -0600

Greg, thank you for the response, sorry it took so long to get back just finished harvesting 2 weeks ago

Reply to deserted forum

Sun, 06 Feb 2005 10:05:55 -0600

Dewey, Funny you asked, I just ordered six new ones this morning. The manufacturer is www.jsaginnovations.com in Ewing Missouri. I think you can order them by email or call them and give them your information. They really make a difference in certain soil conditions where you get almost too much soil lifting with the CIH gauge wheel tires. Good Luck, Ed Winkle HyMark Consulting LLC 3308 Martinsville Road Martinsville, Ohio 45146 937-685-9365 www.erinet.com/hymark gotta get my website updated!

Reply to deserted forum

Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:09:25 -0600

thank you Ed. we got alot of good info out of your talk. can you or anyone else direct me to the seed tube protectors made by moeller or jds? thanks

Reply to deserted forum

Mon, 17 Jan 2005 07:38:53 -0600

It was great to meet you, your wife and your beautiful baby at the NNTC in Cincinnati this weekend, Dewey. We wish you both the best in 2005 and we will all keep pushing no-till for better farming, better profits and better conservation of our resources. Ed Winkle

Reply to deserted forum

Mon, 20 Dec 2004 13:52:20 -0600

sorry i haven't replied sooner , have been busy spraying and spreading fertiliser. Yes , we changed from a cross-slot to a JohnDale Zero-Till drill which is equivalent to the Seed Hawk made in Canada. Reasons for changing ,was less horsepower requirement , Less moving parts, eliminate disc stall and reduce the requirement to have perfect seed vigour all the time . So far after 3 seasons we are very happy but slugs are still are biggest problem with no-tillage even if the straw is burnt or baled . Therefore we leave most of the residue to rot on top of the soil.

Reply to Rookie No-Till help PLEASE!

Sat, 11 Dec 2004 08:00:08 -0600

mark other things to consider ....better get soil sampled ,,iv found here that after the land had layed in set aside for 10 years it has tended to be vary low on potash,,,,but soil sampling is a must ,,thats all i can think of for now good luck

Reply to Rookie No-Till help PLEASE!

Sat, 11 Dec 2004 07:54:26 -0600

mark,,im 36 and have been farming all my life ,,,i have brought alot of set aside ground back in to production here in west central ohio.the best way i have found is to mow off the weeds the summer before and then apply 1 qt. of roundup in the fall .then in the spring apply another qt.after things start to green up before planting ,then notill them in with the drill,we have a jd 750 drill,then wait on them to get hairy and hit em with another shot or r-up. now i have had success by mowing in the winter , then applying 1.5 qt.in early spring ,,,iv also not mowed at all and burned down ahead of planting ,then just notilled in the standing weeds . all will work , but the first method has been the most succesful for me ...now do i think your crazy? not at all ,,,go for it

Rookie No-Till help PLEASE!

Fri, 10 Dec 2004 10:35:20 -0600

Hello. I'm a tenacious young farm raised 29 year old. I recently moved for another job and have found an opportunity to farm 200-500 acres of state ground at a VERY reasonable lease rate. The property is extremely weedy (chest high growth). I want to plant RR soybeans for economic reasons and labor/machinery savings. I'd really appreciate any suggestions or comments to help me determine if I'm crazy for looking at this opportunity or what I should also be considering. Feel free to email me privately at fullsircle@hotmail.com as well. Thank you.

Reply to deserted forum

Wed, 08 Dec 2004 14:15:01 -0600

Roger, I understand that you changed your drill sometimes ago. Which hoe drill and why?

Reply to deserted forum

Tue, 05 Oct 2004 15:13:03 -0500

in New Zealand we use either mesurol(20g/kg methiocarb) at 6kg/ha=US$40/ha or 18g/kg metaldehyde@ 10kg/ha=US$50/ha.Hopefully we get away with one application but in some bad years will take two. Seems there is some discrepancy between prices between the three countries. I have found this year if i can drill with the hoe coulter between last years standing stubble rows, the soil throw covers the base of last years stubble where the slug eggs are laid and minimises the number of eggs that survive. This just means huge concentration while driving but can be done. It also means we have no plugging of the drill with straw as we have a lot of straw.

Reply to deserted forum

Sun, 03 Oct 2004 02:43:44 -0500

Richard, slug pellets we use here are 18g/kg Metaldehyde @20 kgs/ha and are rain resistant, the price works out @ U.S.$15 per acre.

Reply to deserted forum

Sat, 02 Oct 2004 15:39:58 -0500

Roger what is the bait you use? Here in the USA bait is very expense about 50 dollars /acre so just cross our fingers and hope slugs don't hit. If they do it is usally in wheat stuble if we put soys there.

Reply to deserted forum

Wed, 22 Sep 2004 22:39:23 -0500

Great to see some people are still listening out there. i am in New Zealand and still no-tilling with a Hoe coulter drill ,through 12 tonne/ha crops of wheat . As in Australian wet areas, slugs are our biggest issue , with considerable amounts spent on slugbait .However no-tillage is working for us with a great variety of crops in all other aspects and we just hope that the scientists can come up with a cost effective and environmentally friendly solution to slugs. I think through great sites like this some of these issues with plenty of dialogue can be resolved as every one has had different experiences.

Reply to deserted forum

Tue, 21 Sep 2004 01:45:58 -0500

I live in Tasmania and only recently became computer literate and didn't realise what I was missing on this sight. No-till here is dominated by wheat growers a big% is sown in this manner with a gradual shift to disc openers to handle trash although in wetter areas slugs are a problem. Have circulated Matt Hagny's tillage reincarnated article here and just about started world war 3. Greg Mc Donald.

Reply to deserted forum

Sun, 12 Sep 2004 17:49:59 -0500

the new forum looks nice but i preferred the "running" list of discussions. i didnt really care what the topic or catagory was. i liked to read them all in the order they were submitted. secondly, around here, total no till has never been real popular, save a few operations. most everyone no tills soybeans, works corn. there has been a big increase in strip till in nw ohio. word to the wise- when your water shed is selected for the new csp. program, sign up.

deserted forum

Thu, 09 Sep 2004 17:11:15 -0500

Where has everybody gone? This used to be one of the best no-till knowledge sites in the world, with great interaction between farmers. It seems this style format has put users off ,can we get the old style back or try to inform users that it only takes about 10 seconds to register.??? My final question if people are still listening out there ------Has no-tillage just been a fad and now everyone has taken the easy option and gone back to tillage???

Mice/ Vole Problems

Sun, 04 Apr 2004 09:25:33 -0500

Does anyone know of a good way to reduce populations of mice and voles in long term no-till fields. We're seeing some serious damage this year in a few of our winter crops and it would be nice to be able to knock down the poplation a bit. Thanks Dean

Nutriplant SD using a JD 1560

Mon, 23 Feb 2004 15:50:59 -0600

Has anyone out there used Nutriplant SD (a seed coater/starter) in a John Deere 1560 drill? If so please get back to me. leeayers2000@hotmail.com

Reply to Africa No-Tiller Seeks Advice

Tue, 27 Jan 2004 11:44:33 -0600

1.How best can one start implementing no-till under rainfed agriculture in a semi-arid region like Zimbabwe and how bst can one win he hearts of farmers?I am from a village in region3 up north where the rainfall pattern is not that predicable. 2.What really has made the USA such an advanced no-till country and how best could we use your experiences in our rural village of twelve homesteads,each with twenty acres at most-in order that we become the demonstration village for rest of our nation-currently realing under the effects of an underperforming economy and land reforms that has cut productivity to almost 30%,with almost all commercial farming ventures collapsing. 3.Could anyone willing and able to share with us their experiences and literature or any other materials please contact me: Herbert Mudzamba 10 Fereday Drive,Eastlea,Harare,Zimbabwe. E-mail: hmudzamba@yahoo.com

Africa No-Tiller Seeks Advice

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 08:54:50 -0600

I have a problem in that in my country (Zimbabwe) people do not really know the benefits of no-till and we therefore have an uphill task in selling it. I was an R&D engineer before the land reforms and had covered some ground. We even went as far as building a direct seed drill and ran a test field for many years on a wheat, soy and maize rotation, but all this just collapsed. With recurrent droughts and high inflation, I personally believe that reduced tillage is the only way out, but we would definitely not win by reinventing the wheel.That's why I would like to ask for assistance in possible linkages with well-wishers who would like to share their experiences with me. I know we have a controversial and tarnished image over that side, but this would only be a purely professional relationship for the benefit of future generations to come, as the full benefits of no-till will only be realised long after the current crop of politicians have departed. I am from a semi-arid region in the non-commercial farming section of the country and we currently have no irrigation system in place.This is where I would like to start from and maybe the new farmers can adopt the system later on. I greatly hope you'll be able to assist and greatly look forward to your response. Greatest Regards, Herbert. hmudzamba@yahoo.com

Explanation of new Farmers' Forum

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 17:32:44 -0600

Welcome to the new Farmers' Forum. I know there's some confusion out there, so let me take a moment to explain a few things. First, to post on this bulletin board, you need to register as a user. You can do that by going back to the home page and clicking on the "Register" button on the left side of the screen. That will walk you through a registration process in which you'll pick your own password. Once you've done that, you'll be able to log in any time you want to and post your messages on the Farmers' Forum. Registration allows us greater control in the event some users abuse this forum. It's rare, but it happens. If you don't register and log in, you will still be able to view the forum, you just won't be able to be an active participant. You'll also notice that we've divided the Forum into subject areas. We've done that to allow users to more easily find the topics that most interest them and also to speed the loading of the pages, particularly for people who have slower connections. Please remember that we've always emphasized that we want this to be your site and your forum. If there is something you don't like or a way you think it could be improved, send me an e-mail at perszewski@lesspub.com and we'll see what we can do. For example, I'll look into the size of the type, which was one visitor's concern. Meantime, please stay with us while we try to make this a board you really want to use regularly. Thanks for your patience, Ron Perszewski, Associate Editor, No-Till Farmer

Midwest Ridge and Strip-til Conference

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 11:13:31 -0600

The Midwest Ridge & Strip-till Conference is Feb.4 2003. Held at Arrowood Resort & Conference Center in Spirit Lake Iowa. This is one day program designed for anyone using or thinking about using ridge-til or strip-til planting systems. It will feature the expertise of University Extension Specialists from Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. As well as a wealth of knowledge from farmers successfully useing the ridge-til or strip-til planting systems. There also will be an opportunity to visit with representatives of agribusiness who provide services and/or products for these tillage systems. Nitrogen Management John Sawyer, Iowa State Bugs and diseases in Conservation Tillage Bruce Potter U of Minnesota Equipment and Systems considerations Paul Jasa U of Nebraska Pbnding P and K is better Antonio Mallarino Iowa State Persistent weed problems and solutions Mike Owen Iowa State Strip-til is my first choice Steve Nokleby Strip-til farmer Montevideo Mn Zone tillage and deep banding Jodi DeJong-Hughes U of Minn Duane Adams Ridge-til farmer Cosmos Mn Gene Carstens Minden Ne If you have any questions please e-mail rehmx001@umn.edu or gator_farmer@hotmail.com