No-Till Farmer Blog

We enjoyed another excellent National No-Tillage Conference in Cincinnati last week with a record crowd for our location. The No-Till Farmer staff did another bang-up job putting on this conference for standing-room-only crowds.

From the opening talk from my friend Tom Oswald, to the last talk by my friend Jack Maloney, every speaking slot was full of good information. I can’t say there was any breaking news this year, but there was more information and evidence on the things we have been talking about from seed treatments to cover crops.

I explained how I treat my treated seed and use soil amendments and micronutrients. Fertilizing is one thing, but every decision we make impacts how our crops take up available nutrients. With rising fertilizer costs, there is much interest in releasing more nutrients from our soils.

I raised some eyebrows when I said that I think every seed company needs to be prepared to put whatever treatment we want right on the seed, because of these new polymers available.  I shouldn’t have to treat my treated seed; it should all be sealed on pristine seed for the price we’re paying. The industry IS coming around to this notion as it outperforms other seed.

One question that came up was all about glyphosate. How much is it limiting nutrient uptake and increasing disease pressure and how do we handle or prevent resistant weeds?

Resistant weeds are becoming a larger problem each year as most farmers overuse this effective herbicide. Lots of discussion was shared on these topics.

I found three farmers who’ve forgotten more about the air drills than I understand. I see right now we need a full rebuild with some modifications, or we should replace the drill.

Robert Adamic in Michigan, Allen Dean in Ohio and Mel Gerber in Missouri understand the John Deere air drill better than I do. Here’s the value of the conference that can pay huge dividends, even above the other great topics and speakers.

Dr. Ray Weil of Maryland gave a real good primer on soil fauna and his student at Western Illinois Univ., Joel Gruver, put numbers and explanation to soil biology and nutrient release.

I never saw a talk I wasn’t interested in — some just more than others. Every speaker from presentation to classroom to roundtable explained their beliefs and raised good questions.

The woman’s program was excellent. I wish LuAnn could have been there for all of them. My tax accountant, Donna Dalton, and my old friend Chris Bruynis of Ohio State gave really informational talks, well worth the price of admission to the conference.

I  hope we can all meet again next year in St. Louis for the 20^th annual conference. Put it on your calendar now and just send in your payment so you won’t forget or put something less important in front of it.

This conference has answered more questions than any conference I have ever been part of.

Tim White, editor of Ohio Farmer, recently wrote about an odd occurrence that Ohio no-tiller David Brandt came across in his work with radishes as a cover crop. White, who attended last week’s National No-Tillage Conference, in Cincinnati, Ohio, noted that there was quite a stir in Bloom and Greenfield townships just outside Columbus, Ohio, in late December.

It seems the local fire department was called out several times due to reports from residents of a possible gas leak. You see, there was quite the odor of sulfur in the air over the course of several days that led residents to believe there may be a propane or natural gas leak in the neighborhood.

They never found the leak, but one of the firefighters recalled that there was a field of radishes planted near the reported leak and knew from what he had read on the Internet that they can emit quite a stink when rotting. It just so happens there was a bit of a warm-up during this time and indeed, the radishes were beginning to rot.

This is not unusual. Robert and Nick Miller of Stone Bank, Wis., whom we featured in the Fall issue of No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Tillage Guide, says the same thing happened in their area, which sits right on the edge of urban sprawl outside Milwaukee, Wis.

So, what’s a farmer to do about this? Perhaps, if you are going to raise radishes as a cover crop in an area of urban sprawl, in particular, you might want to consider taking a pre-emptive strike. Do you think it’s feasible to:

1. Provide a map of the local area, noting fields where tillage radish are growing? By informing the fire department of what you are doing, it may help them in their investigation of any reports of gas leaks that called in.
2. Draft a letter about what you are doing with radishes as a cover crop and give them to residents of neighboring fields? My thought is to not only warn them about the odor that will occur once those radishes begin rotting, but to explain to them the purpose of growing cover crops. Make them aware of the conservation benefits of that cover crop, how you are looking to reduce the amount of applied fertilizer and how these cover crops protect the soil against winter and early spring erosion.

As you know, an uninformed public often will make a big deal about something that farmers are doing, even if it is a good practice environmentally. And when they get riled up, it can lead to contentious debate and even a movement to abolish a beneficial practice used by farmers — just because they don’t understand what you are doing.

Maybe by being proactive, you’ll earn the respect of your neighbors and they won’t make a big stink about your stink.