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Minimizing tillage, along with manure applications and cover crops, have moved soil organic matter levels from 1-2% to 4-4.5% despite corn stalks sometimes being baled for feed on the Bones farm. Heavy corn residue also helps protect and hold the soil in the face of high winds and heavy rains. Source: Jim Bones
Conservation is Standard, But Strategy is Flexible
Context matters, which is why the Bones farm family has compromised on some preferred practices as their farming context changes.
Takeaways
- No-till planter upgrades allow greater accuracy at higher speeds.
- Gypsum applications reduce magnesium needs and improve soil tilth.
- Buffer strips protect water and provide valuable wildlife habitat.
Flexibility is standard on our farm. There are practices we prefer to use, but with so many variables playing into every decision, there are few spots where a hard line makes sense. This is especially true on multi-generation family farms where a level of consensus must be met.
I farm with my brother, Steve, and brother-in-law, Lyle VanHove. Together we’re Hexad Farms and we manage land our family homesteaded in 1879. The next generation has formed their own group, MDM Farms, and we all work together.
MDM Farms includes my son, Matt; Steve’s son, Dan; and Lyle’s son Mike. Together they recently started a pheasant hunting business, Camp Creek Outfitters. Years of conservation work have created a landscape rich with wildlife that can now also benefit the farm as an additional income stream.
There’s plenty of variability in thought in our group. Adding to complexity is that we also have a 250-head beef cattle herd, interest in a 1,500-head…
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No-Tiller Plants Entire Corn Crop with Driverless Tractor
On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Titan International, we catch up with young Kentucky no-tiller Quint Pottinger to see how he autonomously planted his entire crop in 2026. Senior editor John Dobberstein checks in from the CTIC Conservation in Action Tour in Scotland Neck, N.C., where no-tiller Zeb Winslow III talks about his multi-species cover crop program.
Top Directory Listings
Estes Performance Concaves
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Titan International Inc
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Servitech
Provide expert analysis and decision support to increase productivity and profitability.