A No-Till Farmer Staff Report

As we ring in the New Year, we take a look back at the year that came before and reflect on all that’s happened. 2019 was a tough year for a lot of farmers, with parts of the country experiencing severe flooding and high levels of precipitation. 

Governmental programs both helped and hindered farmers, with a trade war that hampered soybean exports, a new farm bill that legalized the growth of industrial hemp, changes to the rules regulating what producers could do with cover crops grown on prevented planting acres, and more.

Glyphosate suffered a big hit having lost a major civil lawsuit. More countries passed full or partial bans on the chemical, bringing the count to 20 that have forbidden or restricted its use.

Through it all, farmers kept farming and No-Till Farmer editors continued developing and sharing content to help you stay informed on no-till management topics. The Digital Media Dept. at Lessiter Media crunched the numbers on the online stories that got the most attention in 2019, and the results show that soil health, cover crops and advances in farm management topics garnered the most interest.

What follows are highlights of the most popular stories that appeared on No-TillFarmer.com, providing a snapshot of the happenings that shaped the world of no-till this past year. To see the stories listed here, go to www.No-TillFarmer.com/top2019. 

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Most-Read Blog

The New $867 Billion Farm Bill Includes Benefits for No-Tilling, Strip-Tilling, Terminating Cover Crops, Improving Soil Health and Sequestering More Carbon

On Jan. 1, 2019, Frank Lessiter shared details about the provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, and new opportunities for no-till, strip-till, soil health and carbon sequestration as well as the impact these practices all have on climate change.

Most-Watched Webinar

Choosing the Right No-Till Attachments for Your Soils and Conditions

In this webinar, sponsored by Martin Industries, Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies shared how growers and dealers can choose the right no-till attachments, specifically addressing row cleaners ,nutrient placement, seed firmers and closing wheels.

Most Popular News Article

Weed Control Strategies in Grain Sorghum

In April, Kansas State University shared tips for choosing the right crop
rotation and herbicide program to help manage weed pressure that otherwise reduces grain sorghum yields and make harvest very difficult.

Most Popular No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators Podcast

Growing Corn in 60-inch Rows

In pursuit of developing advanced farming practices, retired John Deere engineer Bob Recker gives himself permission to do “stupid stuff” on a portion of his farmland. In this episode of the “No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators” podcast, he shares an innovative idea for making better use of available sunlight when growing corn.

Most Viewed Video

Dawn Equipment Unveils RowMow Weed Management System

At the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show, Dawn Equipment Co. unveiled a prototype of its new RowMow weed management system, ideal for weed control in organic no-till systems. In  this video, Joe Bassett, president of Dawn, explains how it mows weeds between and above rows of growing crops.

Most Popular No-Till Farmer Podcast

A Conversation with Soil Health Advocates Ray Archuleta, Gabe Brown and Russell Hedrick

Soil health is a big topic for no-tillers, and these guys are at the forefront of the regenerative ag movement In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast posted on May 22, they share their thoughts some of the concepts they teach in the Soil Health Academy seminars, as well as experiences they’ve had that got them thinking in a new way about our ecological systems.

Most Popular Cover Crop Article

Rolling Covers, Planting Non-GMOs ‘Green’ Leads to Efficient, Thriving No-Till System

Indiana no-tiller Rick Clark was a popular speaker at the 2019 National No-Tillage Conference. His story about transforming his 7,000 acre farm by planting green and using non-GMO varieties was just as popular on the website, garnering thousands of views after it was posted in April.

Most Popular Feature Article

Industrial Hemp Serves Up New No-Till Market Opportunity

After the 2018 Farm Bill declassified hemp as a controlled substance, No-Till Farmer editors reached out to several experts to delve into the opportunities and challenges growers will face as they choose to enter this new market.

Most Popular Strip-Till Article

Cover Cropping Adoption Reaches New High Among Strip-Tillers

No-Till Farmer shared results of the 6th Annual Strip-Till Operational Practices Benchmark study, evaluating 2018 cropping practices, equipment setups, berm-building preferences and more that strip-tillers are putting to work on their operations.

Most Popular Industry News Article 

Cover Crops Eligible for USDA FSA Market Facilitation Program Payments

In July, the USDA announced certain details of the $16 billion package to support American farmers. This story explained new information on the Market Facilitation Program, including critical dates of the program and payment details.

Most Downloaded eGuide

Better Soils with the No-Till System

Productive agriculture depends on healthy soil to ensure that nutrients and water are made available in sufficient amounts during a plant’s life cycle. This free eGuide explains the 14 spokes of managing and improving soil health and how to protect this valuable resource through no-till practices.