Dane Hunter & Amanda Weidhuner

BRC Farm Manager Dane Hunter
and SIU Graduate Student Amanda Weidhuner

CLASSROOM #19: 50 Years of Trial Data That Could Shape Your No-Till Management

One of the longest-lived research stations in the Midwest when it comes to no-till practices can be found at Southern Illinois University’s Belleville Research Center (BRC). Established by SIU agronomist George Kapusta, the center boasts 50 years of data from continuous trials in tillage and fertilizer management.

BRC farm manager Dane Hunter and SIU graduate student Amanda Weidhuner shares data spelling out the long-term challenges and benefits of no-till and various fertilizer regimes on a poorly drained silt loam soil when compared to moldboard plowing, chisel plowing and rotational tillage. They also explore how different fertilization approaches affect crops, and the ways these management systems affect soil properties and biological indicators like earthworm populations.