No-Till Boosts Profits In Nearly All Climates

While some controversy continues over whether no-till can work well in the cold, wet climate of the northern Corn Belt, it’s a sound practice in most U.S. regions.

A report published recently found no-till had greater yields than conventional tillage in the South and West. The two tillage systems had similar yields in the central U.S., while no-till typically produced lower yields in the northern U.S. and Canada.

No-till saw greater corn and soybean yields on moderate- to well-drained soils, but slightly lower yields on poorly drained soils. Corn and soybean yields tended to benefit more from crop rotation in no-till compared to a continuous one-crop system.

The challenges to no-till in northern climates shows the importance of strong hybrid stress emergence and reducing risk from cold, wet soils, says Paul Carter, agronomy sciences manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred and one of three authors of the report.

When selecting hybrids for northern growing zones, he advises no-tillers look at yield performance first, then examine high-residue suitability ratings.

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John dobberstein2

John Dobberstein

John Dobberstein is the Senior Editor of No-Till Farmer, Strip-Till Farmer, and Cover Crop Strategies. He previously covered agriculture for the Tulsa World and worked for daily newspapers in Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Joseph, Mich. This is John's second stint with Lessiter Media, the previous lasting almost 13 years.

Contact: jdobberstein@lessitermedia.com

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