Growers in all tillage disciplines have one common goal: yield. No matter whether you’re chisel- or moldboard plowing, strip-tilling, minimum-tilling or die-hard no-tilling, the more you grow, the more you make. Theoretically. But how do you make sure that you're reaching your crop's genetic potential? Since the days of Nostradamus, growers have been struggling with that question.
When you walk across a no-till field, Jill Clapperton says you’re walking on the rooftop of a bustling community. No-tilled soils teem with life, and with the right management techniques, you can use these busy organisms to your benefit, says the the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada soil biologist stationed at the Lethbridge Research Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Manure simply doesn’t get the respect that it probably deserves. While some might chuckle at this comment, Dirk Axe points out that manure provides valuable nutrients that, when handled correctly, can be used as low-cost fertilizer in no-till crop production.
With nitrogen management becoming even more important, No-Till Farmer readers have shared a wealth of valuable ideas for helping protect the environment.
Every no-tiller has one trick or idea that they absolutely can’t live without. For David Linn in Correctionville, Iowa, it’s strip-tilling in the spring instead of the fall.
Modifying a highly popular no-till drill enabled this eastern Washington farming operation to switch to continuous cropping and forget about summer fallow.
Even though the majority of John Deere 750 no-till drills are used to seed soybeans and small grains in the Midwest, that certainly doesn’t mean modifications made for efficient seeding in the Pacific Northwest won’t prove valuable in other areas.
No-Tillers are finding that mounding a strip of soil with or without deep placement of nutrients ahead of the planter can provide a warm, dry seedbed and help no-till corn get off to a faster start.
Cliff Roberts has been fall strip tilling for a dozen years. The Kentland, Ind., farmer is pretty blunt about why he likes to fall strip till for no-tilled corn grown on silt loam soils.
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On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Westville, Ind., no-tiller Jeff Herrold provides an update on how planting is going so far, and why a potential problem with slugs is causing some early-season anxiety. Herrold also explains why he prefers to plant soybeans before corn.
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