21st annual gathering of innovative no-tillers in Indianapolis offers valuable management tips from more than 40 speakers over 4 information-packed days in January 2013

Behind the theme of “Powering Up Your No-Till System,” the 2013 National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis, Ind., from Jan. 9-12, 2013, promises to deliver 4 highly valuable days of learning experiences for cutting-edge farmers seeking to improve their no-till practices.

National No-Tillage Conference logo

The just-completed conference program, now available at www.NoTillConference.com, includes 43 speakers from the U.S. and Canada, and offers the best no-till management practices and ideas to help no-tillers improve their bottom line. Speakers include no-tillers, agronomists, consultants and university experts teeing up topics ranging from fertility management to precision ag to soil biology to equipment setups to cover cropping and much more — all designed to push up no-till yields with more efficient use of inputs.

The 21st annual event includes 18 general session presentations, 25 classrooms and 60 roundtables. Following is a sample of topics and speakers lined up to present nearly 100 hours of in-depth no-till learning at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis.

  • “The Importance of Earthworms To Making Your Farm Soils More Productive” by Odette Menard, conservation specialist for the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, will help farmers understand the importance of earthworms and how to encourage populations.

  • “An In-Depth Look At Soil-Building, Beneficial Cover-Cropping Practices” — The opening-evening general session will feature Sedgwick, Kan., no-tiller Ryan Speer; Chandler, Ind., no-tiller Harold Heilman; and Purdue University soils specialist Eileen Kladivko on effective uses and management of cover crops.

  • A general session devoted to managing today’s extreme weather events, including Jerry Hatfield of USDA-ARS in Ames, Iowa, on “Preparing For The Uncertain Future: Advantages of No-Till in Extreme Weather;” onfarm researcher Marion Calmer of Alpha, Ill., on “How to Use No-Till to Combat Weather Extremes;” and former Virginia Tech fertility specialist Mark Alley on “Drought’s Influence on Residual Soil Nutrient Availability… and Next Year’s Nutrient Needs.”

  • No-till consultant Phil Needham of Calhoun, Ky., will hold a general session on “Managing Residue Effectively to Boost Crop Emergence, Yields,” and will share a classroom session on “Managing your Way to Higher Wheat Yields, Profits.”

  • Soil microbiologist Kris Nichols of USDA-ARS in Mandan, N.D., will present a general session on “Managing No-Till Profits With Better Soil Biology” and a classroom on “Bringing Your Soils to Life – Bugs in the System.”

  • Penn State University soils specialist Sjoerd Duiker gives practical advice in “How to Help Yourself Become a Continuous No-Tiller” and offers a classroom on “Cover Cropping For the No-Tiller With Livestock.”

  • No-tillers who will share their best practices and ideas include John Young, Herndon, Ky.; Jim Leverich, Sparta, Wis.; Dean Glenney, Dunnville, Ontario; Curtis Furr, Albemarle, N.C.; Bob Bottens, Cambridge, Ill.; Shane Houck, Pennville, Ind.; Mark Anson, Monroe City, Ind.; and Donn Branton, Le Roy, N.Y.

Darrell Bruggink, executive editor and publisher of No-Till Farmer and the organizer of the National No-Tillage Conference, says both experienced no-tillers and farmers considering adopting no-tillage practices will get dozens of practical tips to use in their operations and be challenged to improve their no-till system.

“Due to popular request, we’ve added a fifth set of classrooms, increasing the learning available from these more intimate sessions by 25%,” Bruggink says. “Our goal is to help no-tillers walk away from the conference with useful ideas and to be re-energized to start a new crop-production season.”

The final 12-page program can be viewed and downloaded at www.NoTillConference.com. Registration is just $279 per person, with a special $252 rate for additional farm or family members.

The National No-Tillage Conference is co-sponsored by No-Till Farmer and 12 industry-leading companies, including Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers, Koch Agronomic Services (Agrotain), Ag Leader Technology, Bayer CropScience, Case IH, Cover Crop Solutions, Equipment Technologies (Apache sprayers), Needham Ag Technologies, SFP, Syngenta, Thurston Mfg. (Blu-Jet) and Titan International (Goodyear farm tires).