No-Till Farmer Blog

Experience has taught us that three major concerns arise as to why everyone is not no-tilling. Let’s explore these areas and present some of the “reasons why.”

The three major concerns are unstructured soils; planters that are not set up or operated correctly; and the failure to use starter fertilizer. If we can take some actions to counter these problem areas, we will be able to demonstrate a much more successful transition to continuous no-till.

We are now able to transition a farm with well- to moderately well-drained silt loam soils to continuous no-till and experience improved crop yields the first year into the program. And it just keeps getting better.

The first concern centers around the “condition” of the soil. We will assume that soil fertility and pH have been corrected or will be addressed in the transition phase. The chemistry of nutrient levels and balances and proper pH are very important and will strongly influence how we apply starter fertilizer later in our discussion.

This first item is about soil structure. When soil has been regularly tilled, the structure of the soil is pulverized. This is catastrophic to natural soil health. Soil biology is altered by tillage as bacteria are favored over fungal organisms. The fungal organism network is much more efficient at cycling nutrients than bacteria.

Earthworm population dynamics are also greatly altered. Regular earthworms (the size of the lead in a pencil) tolerate tillage fairly well, as they spend most of their life in the top 18 inches or so of soil. Nightcrawlers (the size of the pencil), on the other hand, do not tolerate tillage, and in the presence of tillage, their numbers crash. Their burrows, which can be 40 to 48 inches deep, are cut off and they suffocate. Nightcrawler burrows provide rapid entry access for water into the soil. Water makes the crop.

When the soil is tilled, structure is pulverized and pore space is artificially created by the tillage as the soil is mechanically “loosened.” The artificial pore space may work for the current year with sufficient water. To have effective pore space in a pulverized soil, the same artificial pore space building has to occur every year.

When a soil is no longer disturbed by tillage, it will begin to revert to its native state as a structured soil with adequate pore space in the presence of soil aggregates. Pore space is all about water (and air) and a plant’s ability to get it.

This is the general year-to-year process:

• Year 1 (no-till this year, tilled last year): The soil becomes more dense, and holds water tighter with less available to the plants.
• Year 2  (2nd year no-till): The soil becomes even more dense with less water available to the plants.
• Year 3 (3rd year no-till): Soil remains dense but may begin to lessen as soil structure begins to reinitialize. Water stress continues.
• Year 4 forward: Soil structure redevelops in the soil and, with proper management, can approach good levels. Pore space in structured soil allows plants to utilize water, as it is not held as tight by the soil.

What can be done to manage this condition during the transition phase? We need to first, conserve soil moisture and second, aid in the re-creation of natural soil pore space.

1. To conserve soil moisture by increasing water infiltration and reducing surface evaporation, we need to keep the soil covered with crop residues. This can be very threatening to a new no-tiller who is not accustomed to working with surface residues at planting time. When we need them most, we are most threatened by them in our inexperience. If we are going to transition to continuous no-till and have higher yields right away, the soil surface needs to be well covered with crop residues.
2. To aid the re-creation of natural pore space and enhance the reinitialization and development of soil structure, we depend on cover crops and/or crop rotation to include close-growing, high-residue-producing crops such as small grains. Keeping living roots growing in the soil as much of the year as possible will help quicken the processes involved in soil structure development. When growing cover crops, we are again most threatened by all of that biomass when we need it most. We need to allow sufficient growth time to develop as large a root system as practical. This will provide natural pore space and is a “seedbed” for the reinitialization of soil structure.

With high levels of evenly distributed soil-covering crop residues and the use of cover crops and/or crop rotations to include close-growing crops, such as small grains, we can greatly improve the soil’s ability to supply sufficient amounts of water for high-yielding crops from the start as we transition to continuous no-till.

We have two other areas of concern to consider. Stay tuned. We will address them in upcoming months.

Many of us have just returned from the National No-Tillage conference that was held in Des Moines this year. It was another great meeting put on by Frank, Darrell and the crew.

I try to do two things when going to a meeting or a conference, and I think it’s a good strategy you can employ to make sure you get value from your effort.

1.  Try to learn something new. I can sit at a conference for 3 days and if I bring home one or two new things to try, I figure that is a success. Not every session can be all things to all people. Pick out an idea you think will work for you and run with it. If it works, great; if not, chalk it up to experience and move on to the next experiment.

2. Confirm what you are doing is not crazy. What is great about meetings like the National No-Tillage Conference is that there is bound to be others there that have a similar management program. Find these people and talk about what works, what doesn’t and all the in betweens. It’s the fine tuning that makes our farm better.

Remember, it’s not possible to absorb everything that’s presented at a conference, but coming home with one or two good ideas can really help your no-till system.

I enjoyed speaking at the National No-Tillage Conference last week in Des Moines, Iowa. My views on soil fertility were probably the most controversial.

In my operation, I’m trying to identify the soil fertility level where I am going to get a return on my investment — or the economic threshold — when I apply phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).

The recommended fertility levels in my home state of Illinois are 50 pounds per acre for P and 350 pounds per acre for K. My levels are less then that, but I don’t see a return on investment when I apply P and K.

All I ask for, from a fertilizer application, is to get my money back with a little profit. Would you loan $50,000 to someone and be okay with getting back $25,000?

When the data at my farm shows a return on investment, we will return to adding P and K to the entire field. But until then, we will continue to just treat any hot spots that show up.

It’s nothing personal between the fertilizer industry and myself. I’m just using the law of diminishing returns to make business decisions based on the facts at my farm.

We’ve got a lot of folks on the No-Till Farmer staff who still look a little sleepy-eyed the Monday after the National No-Tillage Conference, but we were all very encouraged by the positive comments from attendees. What a great group of speakers and an attentive crowd of no-tillers with a real desire to learn and become better at no-tilling.

While we don’t have an official final count, yet, this fifth event in Des Moines saw record attendance for the city. The previous record of 732 was shattered, as we had 775 registered by Friday. We’ll see where things shake out.

If you attended this year’s event, would share something that you picked up from one of the nearly 40 speakers? Did you come away with 1 big idea? Or a few smaller ideas that you can implement into your no-till system next year?

Seed is important to no-tillers. It always has and always will be.

My highest priority is quality seed. It may not be the latest and greatest pedigree, but I need quality seed that is highly viable with very few human mistakes, which can keep seed from reaching its potential.

Have you ever planted a pristine lot of seed and knew right then that this would be a good crop? I have. Heavy, dense seed with a strong endosperm is your best investment.

How do you order this seed? You must know your seed man very well. Most farmers go for brand names, and that’s fine. But I have not received the consistent quality from brand seeds that I have received from my local seedsmen.

No-tillers often “push the envelope” on putting seed in a good environment. Quality seed has allowed us to pursue this tactic. It’s in our best interest.

My most profitable crops have come from those really good yields achieved with really good seed on a really good planting day, which timed that crop to nature.

I plant seed from companies you never heard of. Yes, I will plant some brand names, too, as a check, but I am after quality seed, not brand names. There is a difference.

I am planting LibertyLink soybeans on a larger basis this year.  The agronomics look good to me.

Being near the Ohio River, I can command a premium on non-GMO seed, which in my day was just seed. So much has happened in a couple of decades.

What will you plant this year why will you do it?

When you load your planter, will it be the best seed you can get your hands on or what your dealer sent you?

2009. A year to remember on the farm. Challenging but rewarding.

Looking back, I feel very fortunate for being a true no-tiller. Not only was 2009 a record year for yields, but a record year for knowledge to obtain those yields. With continuous rainfall in April and May, it was a challenge just to get the crop planted. The first kernel of corn was not planted until May 25 and we finished June 6. I will briefly explain why I feel 2009 was a bin buster.

1. Superior corn hybrids. I stayed with the plan of no-tilling my full-season hybrids even though the planting date was late. The hybrids that are available today are so much better with the added traits. The good news is that they are getting better! I am really excited about reducing my refuge in the future.

2. Soil Structure. The tremendous early rains we had percolated in the soil because of our no-till practices. Air and water constantly moving through the soil was a huge advantage compared to my conventional-till neighbors.

3. Precise Planter Setup. We purchased a new John Deere 1770 planter. The first thing we did was strip it down and set it up for a no-till setup that had worked successfully in the past. An added benefit was the automatic Air-force system by Precision Planting. Our stand was perfect. With our population variable-rated based on soil type and management zones, we had the added benefit to maximize the yield potential of hybrids. Without that picket-fence stand, you’re behind the 8 ball from the beginning.

4. Nitrogen Management. Spoon feeding the corn crop as soon as that kernel is dropped out of the planter is a must to achieve maximum yields. I also feel that we are getting a huge amount of nitrogen released from our soil. By no-tilling the past 10 years, we have reduced our amount of actual nitrogen to just 0.6 pounds per bushel. By doing variable-strip tests for nitrogen, we have found that the optimum level for our soils are from 140 to 160 pounds of actual nitrogen. Our return on investment decreases if amounts increase. We have found out that it’s critical to have thiosul (sulfur) blended with 28% nitrogen. I have seen yields reduced by 8 to 10 bushels per acre without the sulfur mix.

5. Application of Nitrogen. I made the switch this year to not only apply 28% nitrogen with the planter but with my sidedress application. I have always sidedressed nitrogen with anhydrous ammonia but was not satisfied with the compaction, variability between rows and safety of using anhydrous. By purchasing a Blu-Jet 4010 applicator, I satisfied my concerns. Not only was I able to add the convenience of changing rates based on management zones with the Apex software I had with Deere, but had the confidence that every row was receiving the same amount of nitrogen. The safety and speed of applying was an added plus. And, every time I apply 28%, I was getting my thiosul mixed and applied properly.

Of course, rain makes grain, so having the proper rainfall throughout the growing season was a must. The cool temperatures did not hurt, either. Harvest-time was so long because we had to dry every single kernel of corn. With limited bin space and a very wet October (thankful we had a decent November), I never thought we would ever finish.

We kept the cart off the field when conditions got sloppy, but fortunately we did not rut any fields up like I saw with conventional-till fields. The fall spraying got done in the middle of harvest, so I am ready to go plant this spring. But first, let’s take a rest and be thankful for 2009.

I can’t believe 2010 is already here! See you at Des Moines.