Five years ago, Nick and Luke Miller returned to Miller Farms near Oconomowoc, Wis., bringing with them a passion for change that works well with the no-till tradition their father, Bob, began 16 years ago.
Compaction, earlier planting, susceptible varieties, a major biological reaction and excessive rain have all played a role in creating huge problems with Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybeans this year, says Bob Streit, a crop consultant and owner of Central Iowa Agronomics in Boone, Iowa.
No-tillers need to pay attention to the extra phosphorus, zinc and other nutrients that corn rootworm-resistant (CRW) hybrids use compared to biotech hybrids without the CRW trait, says Fred Below, University of Illinois plant physiologist.
Strip-tilling helps manage residue, increase continuous-corn yields and protect the soil, say four Iowa strip-tillers and an ag retailer who have been using the system for years.
No-tillers who must apply manure late in the summer and also want to drill cover crops face a conflict. When storage nears capacity, manure must be applied to fields. But timely seeding of cover crops is crucial to establishing stands.
Conventional wisdom says no-till won’t work in northern Iowa, an area infamous for cold, wet soils. But Thornton, Iowa, farmer Doug Caffrey, who grows corn and soybeans and raises grow-to-finish hogs, has no-tilled successfully for almost 25 years.
Virginia “never-tiller” Paul Davis sees a faster increase in soil organic matter, a reduction in applied nitrogen and improved yields from cover crops.
Cover crops' specialist David Wilson minces no words when he describes the potential impact of the high boy that Loysville, Pa., no-tiller Charles Martin made in 2009 to seed cover crops into standing corn and soybeans.
Like many no-tillers, Archer Ruffin believes in the value of micronutrients like zinc to get no-tilled corn off to a good start. But it may come as a surprise that Ruffin applies zinc in a two-pronged approach when planting corn.
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On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, precision specialist Chad Baker, co-owner of Baker Precision Planter Works in Orangeville, Ill., helps a first-generation no-tiller with planter setup, and later encounters a couple problems with a strip-tiller’s new 24-row planter. Plus, veteran agronomist Brad Forkner checks in with a couple tips for farmers to keep in mind before they take the field.
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